Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) launched bus service on the Uttara-Farmgate route via the Dhaka Elevated Expressway on a trial basis on Monday (Sep 18). Initially, eight double-decker buses ply the expressway route from 11:25 a.m. The first bus that left Manik Mia Avenue and took the expressway, reached Airport at 12:05 p.m., local media reported.
Earlier, Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Aman Ullah Nuri inaugurated the service at Manik Mia Avenue around 11:00 a.m.
Talking to reporters, Aman Ullah said there was public demand for a bus service on the expressway. "We've launched this service on an experimental basis in response to the public demand. The buses will ply from 7:30 a.m. to night every day depending on passengers' demand," he added.
He said more buses will be added if the number of passengers increase. Passengers can travel from Farmgate to the airport by paying existing BRTC fares.
The fare from Khejur Bagan to the Airport is Tk 35 for 15 km, and the fare for 17 km to Jasimuddin is set at Tk 40. As there is e-ticketing, there is no scope for charging more.
On Sep 2, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated traffic movement on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway from Kawla (adjacent to Airport area) to Tejgaon.
