Published: 24 April 2024
The privately owned bus transport sector plays a central role in Bangladesh’s passenger transport system, significantly contributing to economic growth, regional connectivity, and socio-economic development. Ensuring integrity and overall good governance in this sector is essential not only for sustainable profitability but also for promoting fair competition, providing safe, affordable, and passenger-friendly services, and fostering an enabling environment for sustainable economic progress.
Research findings show that Bangladesh’s road transport sector is controlled by a few dominant companies, resulting in unfair competition within the privately owned bus transport business. Many leaders of owners’ associations leverage their affiliation with ruling political parties to exert monopolistic control over the sector and influence policymaking, thereby creating obstacles to lawmaking and enforcement. Furthermore, in the private bus transport sector, there are significant shortcomings in ensuring compliance with relevant laws by bus companies, establishing a fair work environment, guaranteeing workers’ rights including fair wages, proper management of related funds, delivering quality services to passengers, and ensuring transparency of information. Similarly, workers’ unions have largely failed to play an effective role in protecting and advancing the rights of bus workers.
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