As the bus pulls up, the driver opens the doors automatically at the push of a button. Those on board are first allowed to leave, before the passengers waiting in a queue can enter the bus that stopped at the corner of Dhanmondi Road 15 and Satmasjid Road.

This was the scene of the circular bus service on the Dhanmondi-New Market-Azimpur route that hit the roads on March 27 in a bid to ease commuting woes and traffic congestion in Dhanmondi and nearby areas.

Passengers can avail the service for Tk 10-30, depending on the distance travelled. As tickets are bought from makeshift booths under red and green umbrellas at every stop prior to boarding the bus, there is no rush nor a chance of haggling or dispute.

This service is part of a plan by Bus Route Rationalisation Committee, which was formed to bring city bus service under discipline. Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon inaugurated the service that currently operates 19 air-conditioned buses. These 50-seat buses ply two circular routes and stop at 36 points.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Md Jahurul Islam, a tickets salesman at Dhanmondi Road 15 bus stop, said, “People are responding positively to this new service.” Some curious by-standers were also seen observing passengers embarking and disembarking with ease and the orderly manner in which the tickets were sold.

“Even if there’s no seat available in one bus, passengers don’t get frustrated as the next bus is just 5-10 minutes away,” Jahuraul told this correspondent last week. Most passengers at this stop were seen buying tickets to Science Lab, New Market, Azimpur, and Palashi.

University student Asma Sultana was standing in the queue, waiting to board, to go to New Market. She paid Tk 20 for her commute. “I was eagerly waiting for such a bus service,” she said. “I have already used this service three times and there’s no bargaining over fare or pushing and shoving to get on the bus.”

Recalling unpleasant experiences with public buses before, she said, “The service providers need to focus on maintaining quality. I hope it does not turn into a typical public bus service in future.”

Niger Sultana, another passenger in the queue, said she commutes to Dhanmondi regularly from Azimpur to drop her son at school and pick him up. “We usually take rickshaw, but just last week, my son and I spotted the new buses stopping in front of the ticket booth and got curious. We have used the service for a couple of days, and so far so good.”

It is a comfortable ride and hopefully quality of service will be upheld by Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, said others waiting in the queue. 

Motijheel bus depot manager Nayeb Ali, who is in charge of the service, said, “About 4,000 people are using the buses every day.”

“We are currently running a total of 80 trips a day with the buses. If an average of 16 buses run each day, each bus completes the circle four to five times, depending on traffic,” he told The Daily Star on May 18.

There is a lot of traffic on the Dhanmondi-New Market-Azimpur route because of a high number of rickshaws and private cars. This service should improve the situation, Nayeb hoped.

The writer is an intern at The Daily Star