Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will operate 334 special buses on 108 inter-district routes from Dhaka and various districts from today till December 11 on the occasion of the Eid.

Of the buses, 153 will ply from Dhaka and 181 from Chattagong, Bogra, Rangpur, Pirozpur, Khulna, Chandpur, Khagrachhari, Pabna, Panchagarh and some other districts.

BRTC Chairman Taimur Alam Khandaker said at a press conference yesterday the special bus service will be inaugurated at 10:00am at the BRTC's Kamalapur bus depot.

The special service will charge half the fare from the blind and disabled and seats will be kept reserved for them and for women, Taimur said.

Moreover, on the Eid day, the BRTC's Volvo city service will carry commuters of Motijheel- Mirpur route at Tk 5 each instead of Tk 10 and on Motijheel-Tongi route at Tk 7 each instead of Tk 15.

BRTC tourist buses will ply for four days from the Eid day to Mirpur Zoo, Botanical Garden, Jamuna Bridge, Fantasy Kingdom and Nandan Park. Kalayanpur bus depot will manage the service.

Sale of advance tickets for the special buses started yesterday at the BRTC counters for the convenience of the passengers. Strict measures will be taken to prevent blackmarketing of tickets, the BRTC chairman said.

Fare was not increased compared to that in the previous year, he added.

From Kalayanpur bus depot in Dhaka, 69 buses will ply various destinations including Rajshai, Chapainawabganj, Gopalganj, Kashizani, Nazirpur, Narail via Lohagara, Burimari, Kumarkhali, Kotalipara, Karimganj, Setabganj, Paturiaghat, Chilmari and Naogaon.

From Motijheel bus depot, 75 buses will ply Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Netrokona, Kishorganj, Mymen-shingh, Pathorghata, Beani Bazar, Lakhai, Dighinala, Chittagong, Mohonganj, Raojan, Khagrachhari, Kendua, Panchagarh and Jhalokati.

Nine buses from Jowarshahara bus depot will go to Narail, Sherpur, Bogra, Rangpur and Dinajpur.

About night service buses, Taimur said they have requested the home ministry to ensure adequtate security. As in the previous year, deployment of army at bus terminals would benefit passengers, he thought.

He also said a new bus depot in Sylhet and a training school in Khulna will start operation by next month.