Taxicab service in city on the verge of collapse, Over 70pc cabs already out of service due to poor condition

Dhaka's taxicab service is on the verge of breakdown as more than 70 percent of the cabs have been taken out of service.

According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), out of the total 10,857 registered taxis in Dhaka around 7,500 cabs have been discarded due to unfit condition.

However, many cabs especially the black ones are still running on the streets in a run-down condition without valid fitness certificates, officials of the BRTA said.

According to Bangladesh Cab Owners Association, only 6 out of 50 cab companies are currently in business. Others went bankrupt for not being able to repay bank loans.

The owners blamed selection of wrong vehicles, untrained drivers, carjacking and damaged road condition as major reasons behind the dismal state of the service.

“Our drivers were not properly oriented for the duty as cab drivers,” said GM Seraj, chairman, Cab Association of Bangladesh and also owner of Cabex Ltd.

Seraj said when taxicab was introduced in the capital in 1999 there were not enough drivers to drive them. Drivers of two-stroke autorickshaws that were phased out in 2001 became jobless and later became taxicabs drivers.

“Without any motorcar driving experience, they captured most of the cabs in a very short time, especially the black ones, which was built for light travelling service,” he added.

“Carjacking is also a major reason. We were always held hostage by hijackers and received poor cooperation from the law enforcers regarding the matter,” Seraj said.

ASE Delwar, manager, Navana Taxicab, on the other hand blamed selection of wrong vehicles for such heavy duty. “It was a wrong decision to use 800cc Indian light vehicles as taxicabs. These vehicles are not at all fit for such heavy loads.”

“Besides, the streets of Dhaka are always in a damaged condition. There are too many potholes that damage these light vehicles,” he added.

About 4,407 of the total cabs are air-conditioned yellow cabs while most of the 6,450 non-AC cabs are 800cc vehicles imported from India during the BNP-led government.

Commuters and cab owners said the old and run-down cabs of the city must be replaced by new ones without delay.

SR Khan, general secretary of the cab association and owner of Anudwip Cab, mentioned that confusing policies of the ministry and BRTA regarding taxicab replacement process is hindering the recovery of the sector.

“The rules and regulations imposed for cab replacement and the amount of time it requires for processing is costing us a lot. I have applied two years ago for replacement and received permission only last month,” he said.

Khan however hoped that the situation will improve soon as the authorities have recently assured the owners of necessary assistance to boost the service.

Humayun Rashid Khalifa, director (Operations), BRTA said they have placed a set of proposals in September to the Ministry of Communications for amending the Taxicab Services Policy Guideline 1998, to improve taxicab facilities for commuters.

BRTA invited applications for replacement of the old cabs last July. This time 800cc vehicles will not be allowed to operate as cab. Vehicles meant for taxicabs have to be 1350cc or more. Rebuilding old engines will not be allowed either.

BRTA also proposed that companies should run the service. “Earlier there were owners who had only one or two cabs running on the streets. This had made it impossible to control the sector as there were too many owners,” Khalifa said.
By Shahnaz Parveen