The government is going to introduce exclusive bus services for school children by late October as part of its efforts to ease traffic jams in the capital. The Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) has already reached an agreement with Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and private bus operators to run 100 buses on major city streets of the capital for school children from 7am to 10am.

The idea is: the buses would drop the pupils at intersections near their educational institutions. The pupils will then go to schools by rickshaws or on foot. The Dhaka City Corporation and traffic police will control the movement of rickshaws at those places so that the intersections are not jammed. "Our aim is to create easy public transportation for students and at the same time reduce traffic jams by 40 per cent," SM Salehuddin, additional executive secretary of DTCB, told the news agency.

"We will also encourage BRTC and private operators to come to an agreement with schools to introduce bus services for particular schools. But parking of private vehicles on roads besides the schools will be strictly controlled by the police," he said. Different schools of the city appear to appreciate the move as it will reduce traffic jams in front of popular institutions. "It may improve the traffic jam situation," said acting Principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Rokeya Akhtar Begum.

The BRTC has already offered a dedicated bus service for Viqarunnisa Noon School and College students from Mirpur. Appreciating the move, Rokeya Akhtar Begum said, "The bus fare is reasonable. We will ask for introducing more such bus routes. I hope the guardians will accept the offer." "It is definitely a good step to control traffic jams and take students to schools", she added. "We hope to cooperate with the government and make the service popular, if we get an offer from the government," said an official of Wills Little Flower School, adding, "We also struggle to manage traffic during school hours. We have to appoint manpower to control parking near the school."

However, parents seem to be more cautious. They are concerned about the safety of their children. "I do not have any confidence in our public transport system. I shall send my daughter only when I am convinced that she would be safe," said Sabrina Sultana, a resident of Lalmatia. "The number of vehicles that carry the students to schools is much higher than the capacity of the existing roads, which create gridlock," DMP joint commissioner (traffic) Manzur Kader Khan said. He said parking on the road causes serious traffic congestion in different areas of the city. "Hundreds of cars are parked on the road during school hours that make the road congested", he added. There is no alternative to discouraging the use of private transport, especially to carry children to educational institutions located in residential areas during rush hours, the joint commissioner added.

-The Independent