The proposed articulated bus service in the capital might be delayed as no progress in marking the dedicated lane has been completed by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) with many other issues remaining unresolved, reports BSS.

"The DCC has conducted a study and found it very difficult to manage space on the existing city streets for articulated bus service," a senior official of the DCC told a meeting held in this connection in the Communication Ministry.

Secretary of the Ministry ASM Ali Kabir was in the chair while senior officials of the ministry, BRTC, DCC, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Home Ministry and Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) were present.

No decision was taken yet for mobilising the private operators for such kind of specialised service, which according to the officials is not possible to initiate and run with the buses of the state owned BRTC.

Around 5,500 buses including 4,000 minibuses, mostly private, are now plying on the city streets along with thousands of miniature public transports including rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and private cars making the traffic system look horrifying.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) proposed the government in August 2008 to introduce the articulated bus service to develop an easy and comfortable communication system for city people.

It proposed for private-public partnership and joint venture with any foreign companies in this sector and providing necessary credit facilities to the entrepreneurs to import suitable buses.

BRTA proposed for commissioning of the service with large- bodied buses from BTRC and private operators and later add imported buses in the fleet.

Under the system, a lane on the left side of the city road would be marked only for plying a fleet of articulated buses which would have more capacity in terms of carrying passengers and in speed.

Ali Kabir said small size transports including rickshaws should be phased out from city roads gradually after introduction of the articulated bus service and other alternative transport facilities in the city as early as possible.