BRTC rolls out Pink Bus service for women in 3 cities

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) launched a dedicated ‘Pink Bus’ service in Dhaka, Chattogram and Bogura to provide women with safer and more comfortable public transport.

Road, Rail and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam inaugurated the service at BRTC’s Dhaka Truck Depot in Tejgaon on Tuesday (August 18).

The service began with 14 buses—10 on 10 routes in Dhaka, two on two routes in Chattogram and two on two routes in Bogura. Of the 10 buses operating in the capital, one is single-decker and nine are double-deckers.

The BRTC plans to operate the service with women drivers and a women-friendly management system, while expanding the number of buses and routes based on passenger demand.

At the inauguration, the minister said the service would gradually be expanded to more parts of the country. New routes and additional buses would be introduced based on the needs of women passengers, while steps would also be taken to make existing public transport safer and more passenger-friendly for women.

The initiative was part of the government’s 180-day action plan. The annual budget also included plans for safe, women-operated dedicated bus services for female workers.

The government is also moving to procure 200 electric buses through direct purchase to promote environmentally friendly public transport, the minister said. Half of the proposed fleet is planned for women, including 100 electric minibuses, potentially paving the way for further expansion of the Pink Bus network.

Shaikh Rabiul Alam said BRTC currently operates around 1,200 buses and is no longer running at a loss, remaining close to the break-even point. However, he acknowledged shortcomings in bus operations, maintenance and service quality and stressed the need to modernise the state-run operator.

He also called for a major overhaul of Dhaka’s bus route and permit system, noting that some routes have permits despite no longer existing in practice, while buses operate on some routes without valid permits. The government plans to reorganise the routes in line with current passenger demand and restore discipline to the permit system.