| dc.description.abstract | The study aimed to investigate existing problems in bus system in Dhaka City from passengers‘ perspective and also from transport authorities‘ point of view. The objectives were chosen because bus service is the principal mode in providing public transport facilities in Dhaka City. Bus industry is too unplanned and characterized by several problems, so that passengers found it as the most unattractive mode of transport option and are not very willing to ride on it.
To obtain these aims, a short questionnaire survey with 100 respondents (bus passengers), semistructured interviews with three key informants from Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCA); personal observations and photographs had been used. The triangulation approach was adopted to incorporate both the quantitative and qualitative data.
The study reveals that long travel time; safety issue and less frequent buses are in order three most important problems which make the bus service a less attractive option. It also found that the importance of these attributes can vary according to age, sex, educational status and location. The other factors associated with bus services like low quality of bus stops, substandard pathways toward the bus stops, no declared time schedules for passengers, inside unfriendly environment of the bus are contributing in declining service quality. Moreover, misbehavior of driver and conductor with female passengers are very common. Female passengers do not want to use public bus to avoid unpleasant situations. The transport authority does not have sufficient manpower and political support to monitor and control these conditions in the public bus system in the city.
Recommendations to improve the service quality of public bus service is demanding, but some proposals in order to help the bus service in the long run, will be, reduction of traffic congestion by electronic road pricing, reducing private car use; enforcement of rules and regulations to reduce accidents rates, prioritize pedestrian facilities, creating provisions for walking and bicycling. These strategies cannot change the situation in the short run but it can be an improvement of public transport and release the excess pressure and quality service problem of public buses. Transportation is an essential welfare aspect for urban population since it provides access to work, facilitates personal life and helps in spinning social networks. | nb_NO |
