Dhaka's commuting crisis stems from an overreliance on private vehicles and a lack of awareness about rail-based public transport.

Dr Md Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), talks to Monorom Polok of The Daily Star about the maiden BRT line in Dhaka that opened last month.

The road transport and bridges ministry's move to allow 5000 more CNG-run auto-rickshaws on the city roads runs counter to the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) for Dhaka that holds small vehicles largely responsible for traffic congestion.