Ride-sharing services thrive in traffic-stricken Dhaka

Ride-sharing services thrive in traffic-stricken Dhaka

Growing rapidly since 2015, ride-sharing in Bangladeshi capital provides relief to dwellers of world's most crowded city

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Despite being one of the the most traffic-congested city in South Asia, ride-sharing has rapidly been gaining popularity in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

A world bank report said last year that traffic congestion wastes around 3.2 million working hours daily for the 15 million inhabitants of Dhaka, which is rolls over an area of 304 square kilometers (117 square miles).

They operate in a taxi-like fashion, generally booked in real time via website and mobile apps.

Ahmed, 25, who currently studies accounting in a private university, found one and half years ago acquaintance with app-based ridesharing service that brought tremendous changes in his income.

Apart from meeting all his expenses including his tuition, Ahmed also occasionally contributed to his family's income.

Having repaid his debt from the motorbike, he added that ride-sharing helped him become self-sufficient while continuing with his studies.


Almost all of these companies provide services with cars and motor bikes, with cars providing a more comfortable journey while bikes allow riders to skip traffic jams.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's latest data show around 286,000 private passenger cars, 36,600 taxis and 677,700 motorbikes were registered in the city by July 2018. However, the official data did not clarify how many motor vehicles were registered for ride-sharing services.

Shariful Islam Tareq, a senior manager of Piikmee, a Dhaka-based ride-sharing company, described the industry's momentum in Dhaka.

Five to eight percent of people drive private vehicles which occupy a significant portion of city roads in the Bangladeshi capital, while about 80% use public transport. Despite the limited road network, demand in the metropolis worked along with the inadequacy of public transport to nurture the local ride-sharing service.

According to a study of Policy Research Institute (PRI) in 2018, the market size of ride sharing industry in Bangladesh is worth an estimated 22 billion Bangladeshi taka ($262 million). And, it covered about 23% of the transport sector in the country.


The report added that the average private vehicle owner made an average 80 trips a month.

He recounted several experiences involving unskilled bike drivers with limited traffic knowledge, as well as accidents due to arrogant riding.

To address these, the government approved the "Ride-sharing Service Guideline 2017" which came into force March 8, 2018. The document has since restricted ride-sharing services by those whose vehicle are registered outside of Dhaka.

- New challenges for Dhaka

Tareq also suggested an e-training institute for prospective riders.

But, as the single public transportation service, the city has yet to make significant changes in its commute system.

He added that the increased number of motor bikes brought additional pressure on city's roads which soon, he said, would bring other problems.

Dhaka is one of the world's most jammed cities sometimes taking one hour to move 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) -- near walking speed. Experts blame faulty urban planning for the problem.

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