PUBLIC transports remains fatally unsafe for passengers as the interim government has so far kept the sector off its reform agenda. The Passengers Welfare Association of Bangladesh on September 13 reported that at least 86,690 people died and 153,257 became wounded in 62,619 road accidents in 11 years. The number of fatalities, however shocking, is not surprising as many other national and international organisations have reported the same. In 2023, the World Health Organisation estimated that 31,578 people in Bangladesh had died in traffic accidents in 2021. In addition to loss of lives, the irregularities in the sector also have economic costs. In Dhaka, traffic congestion kills about 32 lakh work hours every day, the financial loss of which is around Tk 98,000 crore. In addition, fuel worth around Tk 11,000 crore is wasted daily in Dhaka because of congestion. Passenger rights advocates often talk about the impact of unprecedented congestion on the psycho-social health of citizens. The interim government has taken many reform initiatives and formed commissions to identify problems, but, sadly, the transport sector, plagued with irregularities and corruption, is not on the reform agendas.
Reasons for the high fatality in the road transport sector are widely known. In the past, many committees have been formed that suggested lists of recommendations. In the wake of the road safety in 2018, the deposed Awami League government enacted the Road Transport Act 2018, but the act has never been fully enforced because of pressure from transport owners and workers鈥� federation. Meanwhile, unlicensed and unskilled driving continue. A five-year road safety project taken in 2024 has a component for four months of training for 60,000 new commercial drivers, but the project is yet to bear its fruit. Although the government made a decision to keep outdated vehicles off roads by May, there has been little visible interest from owners or government effort for its enforcement. The current situation reflects the failure of successive governments to treat road safety with the urgency it deserves. Especially in 15 years鈥� rule of the Awami League, corruption, mismanagement and political influence plagued the transport sector. Politically influential figures in the transport sector, working hand in glove with police and political leaders, sustained a corrupt system that served their interests.
The government should, therfore, should consider forming a commission involving all stakeholders, including civic bodies and address the perennial crisis in the transport sector. Most important, the government should step up the oversight mechanism so that the enforcement failure identified as the prime cause of road fatalities is prevented.