Public transport in the city and elsewhere in the country is not yet prepared to prevent spread of the coronavirus, keeping people exposed to the deadly disease.
Although, the transport owners and regulatory authority claimed that they already directed public transport managements to take precautionary measures, there were no changes in the situation concerning the public buses, including unclean environment and crowding.
Commuters, bus drivers and transport workers said they were yet to get any visible instruction or guidelines regarding the prevailing outbreak of COVID-19 from the authorities concerned.
"We don't think the public transport is well equipped with safety measures and have taken any visible initiatives to fight possible spread of coronavirus, and we are not happy with the government initiative in the sector," Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity told the FE.
"As we cannot avoid public transport, the authorities concerned need to take necessary measures and precautionary actions to ensure safety of people," he added. Preparations are only on paper, he added.
Before restricting transports at the inter district-level the government should stop allowing Bangladeshi migrants from abroad, to check the spread of the virus.
The organisation also issued a press statement urging the government to take necessary measures to ensure people's safety on road during journey.
This reporter asked public bus supervisors in the city if they received any instruction from their owners or association to take precautionary measure. They said they were yet to get any such instruction or paper to follow.
Khandaker Enayetullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Transport Owners Association, told the FE they have got instruction from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to take precautionary measures.
Those included washing and cleaning public buses, seats, ensuring antiseptic liquid at the bus stands and awareness among drivers, helpers and commuters, he added. "We are holding meetings with the concerned associations, owners and staff aiming to take strong preparation, and asked all to implement the directives of BRTA."
Replying to a query to ensure less gathering, he told the FE, "During office hours in Dhaka, it is difficult to run the public buses as seating services. And we are doing our best to keep people safe," he added.
Director for road safety of BRTA Sk. Md. Mahbub-E-Rabbani told the FE, "We issued formal letters giving directions to the public bus transport owners and workers' associations to take necessary measures as suggested by the health ministry to ensure people's safety."
"If we get further instruction from the government, we will implement accordingly," he added.
Dr. A. S. M. Alamgir, Principal Scientific Officer (PSO), Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told the FE, "We are discouraging people to use public transport. "If unfortunately the disease causes community transmission in the country and any person uses public transport without knowing s/he is infected with the virus-others will be infected and that's why we are urging people to be aware."
It's difficult to halt public transport considering the country's perspective, but we are thinking deeply to take a decision to ensure public safety," he added.
Before taking such a decision we need to clean public transport seats, and it could be done by simply using normal detergents and antiseptic," he added, He urged Bangladeshi returnees to avoid public transport for the sake of other people's safety in the country.
On installation of thermal machines at road, water and air transport ports to check high fever, he said only 2.0 per cent infected people so far could be detected through this. He emphasized other types awareness including avoiding public gathering.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in Dhaka on Wednesday told the reporters that the government was taking necessary measures including possible lockdown in areas to fight the virus.
