BRTA suspends registration of 41 buses converted into double-seck sleepers

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has suspended the registration of 41 buses that were originally registered as single-deck vehicles but later modified into unauthorised double-decker sleeper buses.

The findings were disclosed in a report submitted by a three-member BRTA technical committee formed following a High Court directive on the legality and safety of double-decker sleeper buses.

The committee found that BRTA has not approved or registered any double-decker sleeper bus in the country. Its database, however, contains registration records for 829 double-decker buses, which are not sleeper buses.

According to the report, some owners subsequently altered the body structures of single-decker buses and converted them into double-decker sleeper coaches. BRTA has suspended the registrations of 41 such buses and taken action against three sleeper buses through mobile courts, while enforcement drives are continuing.

The committee also found that Bangladesh currently has no approved guideline or policy for double-decker sleeper buses. As a result, BRTA does not issue registration or route permits for such vehicles. If a single-decker bus is later converted into a double-decker sleeper and brought for fitness renewal, its fitness certificate is not renewed and action is taken to suspend its registration.

The technical committee was formed after a 2025 writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Muhammad Huzzatul Islam Khan challenging the legality of unauthorised sleeper buses. Following the petition, the High Court ordered the formation of an independent technical committee to examine the issue.

The committee has recommended developing a national policy for regulating double-decker sleeper buses, drawing on international practices to ensure passenger safety and comfort. Work on such a policy is now underway.