Government Fails to Remove Illegal and Expired Vehicles from Roads

Successive governments have been unable to clear illegal and outdated vehicles from the country’s roads. During its 15-plus years in power, the former Awami League government failed to act decisively. The current interim administration also initiated efforts but has so far made no progress. As a result, these vehicles continue to fuel accidents and fatalities.

According to official statements, locally made vehicles such as Nasimon, Karimon, Votvoti, battery-run rickshaws, and easybikes are considered illegal. In addition, trucks and covered vans older than 20 years, along with buses and minibuses over 25 years old, are also deemed unlawful. Despite this, both categories of vehicles dominate the country’s roads.

Data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) show there are about 6.45 million registered vehicles in the country. Less than 2% of them are buses and minibuses used for public transport. Around 46% of the total are outdated or worn-out. At the same time, government estimates suggest there are roughly 7 million unauthorized three-wheelers operating nationwide.

Experts say the core problem lies in the shortage of reliable public transport. Existing fleets are insufficient and largely in poor condition. Against this backdrop, substandard three-wheeled vehicles — both battery-powered and engine-run — have flooded cities and rural areas alike. Once their numbers grew, authorities lost the ability to control them. These faulty vehicles have become a major contributor to rising accidents and deaths.

Rising Accidents and Fatalities

Between January and August this year, 3,741 people lost their lives in road crashes across the country, BRTA figures show. Of them, 786 were passengers of three-wheelers — accounting for about 21% of all deaths. These included riders of Nasimon, Karimon, auto-rickshaws, battery rickshaws, and easybikes. Motorcyclists, however, represented the largest share of victims at 32%.

According to the Road Safety Foundation, road accidents claimed 7,294 lives in 2024. Among them, 2,609 were motorcyclists — 35.77% of the total. The second-highest group of victims were three-wheeler passengers, numbering 1,723, or 23.61% of all fatalities.