Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) Monday demanded the removal of unfit and rundown buses from Dhaka and Chattogram.
The organisation also called for the introduction of 5,000 high-quality buses to address the growing crisis in urban public transport.
BJKS, at a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, also suggested introducing a public transport system through a public-private partnership under a route rationalisation system, instead of being controlled by transport owner associations.
Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, the Secretary General of BJKS, alleged that passenger sufferings have worsened due to a transport crisis caused by the overnight repainting of old, unfit buses into pink-coloured vehicles instead of replacing them with new ones.
On December 19, Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan instructed the removal of buses older than 20 years from Dhaka by May.
He also announced that from February 25, all existing routes in Dhaka would be abolished and replaced with nine rationalised routes, each served by modern buses with distinct colours.
He also pointed out that the Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity announced on February 4 that 21 transport companies would operate under a counter-based system from February 6, despite the fact that the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) did not approve the colour changes of 2,610 buses.
He also criticised the poor condition of these repainted buses, describing them as unfit, unhygienic, and unsafe.
Mozammel also raised concerns over overcharging on certain routes, saying that passengers are being forced to pay excessive fares despite the poor service quality.
At the press conference, he also condemned the BRTA for on Saturday's citywide disruption, where CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers blocked roads, causing immense suffering for commuters.
