Transport in Dhaka consists of a mixture of cars, buses, rickshaws, motorcycles, and pedestrians, all vying for space in an environment where congestion is a daily challenge. The average traffic speed is , the slowest in the world, and congestion was estimated to cost the economy billion in 2020.
Dubbed "the rickshaw capital of the world," cycle rickshaws are the most popular and ubiquitous mode of transport in Dhaka, preferred for their affordability and ability to navigate narrow streets. The bus system in the city is disorganised, with hundreds of different companies serving various parts of the city using buses often characterised as unfit and uncomfortable. Motorcycles are rapidly gaining popularity as a personal transport mode, partly due to online ride-sharing services. Despite this, car ownership remains among the lowest in Asian cities.
Efforts to address these transportation issues have been ongoing, with various initiatives aiming to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Dhaka's transport network. Major projects, such as the construction of metro rail systems, flyovers, and dedicated bus lanes, are underway to alleviate the traffic burden and provide more reliable public transit options.
History Palki, existing since the pre-modern era, were the popular mode of transportation for women and the rich in Dhaka until about 150 years ago. These box-like structures, carried by four to eight people, were frequently used for formal events like weddings and even to transport patients. Initially limited to the wealthy, palanquins gradually spread among common people.
In 1856, influential Armenian businessman G M Shircore introduced the or hackney-carriage to Dhaka, better known locally as or . These vehicles, imported from Kolkata, sparked a transport revolution, prompting other businessmen to follow suit. By 1867, there were 60 horse carriages in Dhaka, which increased to 300 by 1874 and stood at 600 in 1889.
In 1885, the first rail line was constructed between Dhaka and Narayanganj, extending to Mymensingh the following year. The rail line was laid almost parallel to the Mughal-era road, running from Tongi through Tejgaon, Kawran Bazar to the Shahbag area. It formed a loop around Ramna, then turned east, cutting through the Nimtali-Fulbaria area before heading south towards Fatullah and Narayanganj. The Fulbaria area was developed into a railway complex, including the Dhaka (Fulbaria) railway station. Starting in 1958, the government redirected part of the railway line from Tejgaon to Khilgaon and then to Kamalapur, removing the previous east–west barrier that cut through the middle of the growing city, impeding traffic flow. The new railway station at Kamalapur was inaugurated on 27 April 1968. The old railway track was paved over, and the former station area was transformed into a bus terminus.
Dhaka's elite owned vintage cars with canvas roofs in the early 1920s. Mawla Bakhsh, a mechanic formerly employed by a British-owned workshop, opened his own business, India Motor Works. He had two cars, which he deployed as taxis between Dhaka and Narayanganj and rented out for transporting patients and other purposes.
After World War II, Bakhsh purchased several trucks auctioned off by the Allied forces and retrofitted them for passenger transport. These buses, known as due to their wooden bodies wrapped in tin, ran on petrol and built from Ford chassis and Chevrolet engines. They operated from Bahadur Shah Park to Narayanganj, carrying 20–22 seated passengers on plank benches along the sides, with 40–50 standing in the middle. These buses were started with a crank and had a rubber bulb horn. A piece of wood near the driver was used to signal turns. Self-starters and electric horns were later added to these buses. In 1948, these buses ran from Fulbaria to Chowk Bazaar and by the end of the 20th century, they ran from Rampura to Sadarghat, when they declined.
Double-decker buses were introduced at the end of the 1960s, imported from the UK and later from India and Europe. In 2013, articulated buses were introduced for the first time.
In 1938, European jute exporters living in Narayanganj and Netrokona (in Mymensingh) imported the first cycle rickshaws from Kolkata for personal use. Initially, these rickshaws did not attract much attention from residents accustomed to horse carriages, palanquins, and city-canal boats. In 1941, Dhaka had only 37 rickshaws, increasing to 181 by 1947. However, by 1998, the number of registered rickshaws in the city had surged to 112,572, some of which were later retrofitted with electric motors.
Auto-rickshaws, or "baby taxis," became popular among the middle class during the Pakistan period. These two-stroke yellow and black vehicles were replaced by green CNG-run auto-rickshaws in 2002 due to pollution concerns. Around 1978, tempos emerged. Initially called a helicopter, this vehicle was a baby taxi converted to carry 8–12 passengers and ran along fixed routes. By 1988, there were at least 60 tempo routes in Dhaka.
Aviation in Dhaka began during World War II with military airstrips at Tejgaon and Kurmitola (Balurghat). Post-war, Tejgaon Airport was repurposed for civil use, when the privately owned Orient Airways operated DC-3 (Dakota) and DHC-6 (Twin Otter) aircraft there until it was succeeded by Pakistan International Airlines in 1948. Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier, was founded on 4 January 1972, using Fokker F-27 (Friendship) and ATP planes. Tejgaon Airport was upgraded and remained in operation until it was handed over to the Bangladesh Air Force in 1981, following the opening of the new Dhaka International Airport (now Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport). A modern terminal building, scheduled to begin operations in October 2024, will upgrade the current airport passenger capacity from 8 million to 20 million.
Public transportation
Buses
Public buses in Dhaka are primarily operated by numerous private companies, with a minority run by the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC). In 2007, buses in Dhaka carried approximately 1.9 million passengers per day. According to a 2020 analysis by Azizur Rahman Anik, more than 10 million people use local buses daily in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. These buses operated on over 300 routes, with many routes overlapping. Data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in 2023 indicated that 3,794 buses owned by 75 companies have route permits, although 871 lack fitness clearances. However, the Dhaka Road Transport Owners' Association claims 120 operators run over 5,000 buses, many without authorisation. Additionally, a minority of BRTC's operational 1,268-bus fleet () is in active service, with the remainder rented to various institutions.
BRTC drivers receive salaries and benefits similar to other government employees. In contrast, most private bus drivers work on a contractual basis. Private bus owners get a fixed amount for a set number of trips, while drivers and conductors retain earnings from additional trips, leading to competition for passengers. A significant portion of the public transportation fleet in Dhaka operates without the required fitness certifications, many characterised by unhygienic and uncomfortable interiors, featuring broken windows, damaged seats, compromised bus bodies, and malfunctioning brake and indicator lights.
The BRTC's fleet is primarily composed of Ashok Leyland double-deckers, the last Volvo double-decker having been scrapped in 2022. The agency also operates single-deckers from Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors of India. As of 2021, BRTC also had a fleet of 35 Ashok Leyland articulated buses, which are hardly put to use. Previously, the single-decker fleet included buses from FAW (China) and Daewoo (South Korea). The BRTC has been criticised for its buses going out of order too quickly.
Government efforts to address issues with public buses in the city, such as introducing a minimum wage for drivers, consolidating bus routes with the Dhaka Nagar Paribahan franchise, and implementing electronic ticketing systems in the early 2020s, have been unsuccessful. A bus rapid transit system, the Dhaka BRT, is in construction () since 2017, projected to end by December 2025.
Intercity and international services Private transportation companies dominate intercity and inter-district routes, with allegations that these entities have reportedly impeded the BRTC's efforts to expand its limited number of inter-district routes. Highway links to the Indian cities of Kolkata, Agartala, Guwahati and Shillong have been established by the BRTC and private bus companies, which also run regular international bus services to those cities from Dhaka.
Trains
Rapid transit systems
Dhaka Metro Rail, managed by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, is the city's first mass rapid transit system, operational since late 2022. The initial route, MRT Line 6, partially commenced service on 28 December 2022, with an average daily ridership of 250,000 passengers. Two additional routes, MRT Line 1 and MRT Line 5, are projected to open by 2030 of the five total planned.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority has proposed the development of a separate subway system in Dhaka, the Dhaka Subway, which has seen no progress .
Commuter rail The state-owned Bangladesh Railway (BR) operates several commuter services from Dhaka, connecting nearby locations such as Narayanganj, Bhanga, Gazipur, and Tangail from Kamalapur railway station, the largest and busiest of the city's railway stations. Previously, suburban services to Narayanganj and Gazipur cities used diesel-electric multiple-unit (DEMU) trains imported from China. However, by 2023, all of them have been found abandoned due to lack of maintenance. Neglect towards commuter services has led the BR to run a reduced number of train services with minimal available coaches. These trains offer minimal seating arrangements and lack basic amenities such as air conditioning, luggage space, and comfortable seating. There are proposals to build a suburban circular railway around the capital.
Intercity and international rail The state-owned Bangladesh Railway provides suburban and national services, with regular express train services connecting Dhaka with other major urban areas, such as Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur. The Maitree Express and the Mitali Express provides connections from Dhaka to the West Bengal cities of Kolkata and Jalpaiguri respectively. A passenger train service is also expected to run from Kolkata to the Tripura capital Agartala via Dhaka through the Akhaura–Agartala line opened in November 2023.
Ferries Water taxi services have been operating in Hatirjheel and Gulshan lakes since December 2016, providing easy access to Karwan Bazar, Moghbazar, Dilu Road, Eskaton, Bangla Motor, and Tejgaon for residents of Badda, Gulshan, Rampura, Khilgaon, and other eastern parts of the city. The service has jetties at five locations: Gulshan (Gudaraghat), Police Plaza, Badda, Rampura, and Karwan Bazar (BFDC). The 30 to 45-seater taxis cost each, with engines imported from China at and assembled in Chittagong, are operated by a private company on a 20-year lease.