24% of the buses plying across the country have no fitness: TIB

Almost one-fourth of the buses plying across the country have no fitness, says Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

According to a recent study of TIB, 18.9 percent of the buses do not have registration, 18.5 percent of buses do not have tax tokens while 22 percent of buses do not have route permits.

The study was released on Tuesday morning at the TIB office in Dhanmondi.

The study also stated that there is no fixed wages for the country's 69 percent transport workers while 82 percent of them have no employment letter.

Regarding passenger service, TIB said 75.8 percent of the passengers who participated in the study, along with 48.0 percent of the workers and 51.8 percent of the bus owners, cited excessive speeding of buses as one of the main reasons for road accidents.

In the meantime, 22.2 percent of staff and workers said drivers operate buses under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

They also said 45.9 percent of bus helpers and supervisors in city bus services also work under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The rate is 19.2 percent in inter-district services.

TIB said due to lack of proper implementation of the guidelines, drivers use mobile phones while driving buses, resulting in accidents with fatalities.

According to the BRTA data, a total of 5,024 people died from road accidents in 2023 is 5,024 while the Jatri Kalyan Samity puts the number at 7,902.