Road Transport Act to be tabled in Monday's cabinet
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 3:41 am
Staff Reporter: Amid the students' movement demanding the implementation of safe roads, the draft of the 'Road Transport Act-2018' is being prepared for final approval at the cabinet meeting on Monday (August 6).
The meeting will be held at 10 am on Monday at the Cabinet meeting room at the Secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On July 29, two college students were killed when a bus of Jabal Noor Paribahan ran over them on the capital's Airport Road. From the next day, students protested on the roads of the capital demanding nine demands, country email list including the hanging of the reckless bus driver, the ban on the use of unfit vehicles on the road, and a ban on driving without a driving license. The students' protest continued on Sunday (August 5).
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that many of the demands of students will be met if the proposed road transport law is implemented.
The cabinet approved the draft 'Road Transport Act' in principle on March 27 last year. The draft law provides for strict punishment for various crimes in the transport sector.
But transport owners and workers began opposing the draft law. In this context, even after almost a year and a half, the law has not been presented to the cabinet for final approval.
On August 1, the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges said that on the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the 'Road Transport Act' will be presented for final approval at the cabinet meeting on August 6.
On the same day, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs announced that the Law Ministry has completed the vetting of the Road Transport Act. Law Minister Anisul Huq has approved the document related to the vetting of the act. The document is being sent to the Ministry of Road Transport.
The Law Minister told reporters, "The Road Transport Act was prepared after thoroughly examining whether the law has adequate provisions regarding the reasons that can cause road accidents, whether there are sufficient provisions in the law to prevent accidents, and whether there are any loopholes in the law."
On the other hand, the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association, in a press release on Sunday, demanded the inclusion of the maximum punishment provision for those responsible for road accidents in the Road Transport Act. At the same time, they also demanded the inclusion of the issue of forming a 'Road Safety Fund' in the proposed law to ensure proper treatment of those injured in road accidents and provide appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased.
What is in the draft law:
According to the draft law, no one will be allowed to use a mobile phone while driving. It provides for a maximum penalty of one month in prison or a fine of Tk 5,000, or both.
According to the draft law, no motor vehicle will be allowed to operate on the sidewalk of the road. Doing so will result in a three-month prison sentence or a fine of Tk 35,000.
Although there was no educational requirement for drivers before, the new law requires at least an eighth-grade education to obtain a driving license. Conductors or driver's assistants must have at least a fifth-grade education, including the ability to read and write.
If someone drives a vehicle without a driving license, they will be punished with a maximum of 6 months imprisonment or a maximum fine of 50,000 taka or both. Anyone who commits this crime can be arrested without a warrant. In this case, the current penalty is 3 months imprisonment or a fine of 5,000 taka.
A driver's assistant license will be required. Failure to obtain a conductor's license will result in a one-month prison sentence or a fine of Tk 25,000.
Previously, the maximum penalty for using a fake driving license was 2 years in prison or a fine of 100,000 taka. In the proposed law, the main penalty remains the same as before, with a fine of 300,000 taka.
Currently, the maximum penalty for driving a motor vehicle without fitness is 6 months in prison or a fine of 10,000 taka. It has now been proposed to increase the penalty to 1 year in prison or a fine of 100,000 taka. This penalty will mainly be imposed on the vehicle owner.
In case of an accident, the punishment provided for in the Penal Code will be applicable. If the accident results in intentional homicide, then Section 302 of the Penal Code will apply. The punishment for this is death penalty. If there is no homicide, Section 304 will apply. In this case, the punishment is life imprisonment. If the accident is due to reckless driving, the punishment can be 3 years imprisonment under Section 304 (B).
If the vehicle exceeds the weight limit, the maximum penalty is 3 years in prison or a fine of 3 lakh taka. Here, both the owner and the driver are included, they will both be liable.
Reckless driving and tailgating will result in a 3-year prison sentence or a fine of Tk 2.5 million if an accident occurs. The proposed law provides for a 2-year prison sentence or a fine of Tk 2 million if reckless driving does not result in an accident.
The new Road Transport Act also provides for deduction of points due to driver's mistakes. For this, 12 points have been kept. If a driver commits a crime, his points will be deducted. If someone's 12 points are deducted, he will never get a driving license again. The law states how many points will be deducted and how much punishment will be imposed.
The meeting will be held at 10 am on Monday at the Cabinet meeting room at the Secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On July 29, two college students were killed when a bus of Jabal Noor Paribahan ran over them on the capital's Airport Road. From the next day, students protested on the roads of the capital demanding nine demands, country email list including the hanging of the reckless bus driver, the ban on the use of unfit vehicles on the road, and a ban on driving without a driving license. The students' protest continued on Sunday (August 5).
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that many of the demands of students will be met if the proposed road transport law is implemented.
The cabinet approved the draft 'Road Transport Act' in principle on March 27 last year. The draft law provides for strict punishment for various crimes in the transport sector.
But transport owners and workers began opposing the draft law. In this context, even after almost a year and a half, the law has not been presented to the cabinet for final approval.
On August 1, the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges said that on the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the 'Road Transport Act' will be presented for final approval at the cabinet meeting on August 6.
On the same day, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs announced that the Law Ministry has completed the vetting of the Road Transport Act. Law Minister Anisul Huq has approved the document related to the vetting of the act. The document is being sent to the Ministry of Road Transport.
The Law Minister told reporters, "The Road Transport Act was prepared after thoroughly examining whether the law has adequate provisions regarding the reasons that can cause road accidents, whether there are sufficient provisions in the law to prevent accidents, and whether there are any loopholes in the law."
On the other hand, the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association, in a press release on Sunday, demanded the inclusion of the maximum punishment provision for those responsible for road accidents in the Road Transport Act. At the same time, they also demanded the inclusion of the issue of forming a 'Road Safety Fund' in the proposed law to ensure proper treatment of those injured in road accidents and provide appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased.
What is in the draft law:
According to the draft law, no one will be allowed to use a mobile phone while driving. It provides for a maximum penalty of one month in prison or a fine of Tk 5,000, or both.
According to the draft law, no motor vehicle will be allowed to operate on the sidewalk of the road. Doing so will result in a three-month prison sentence or a fine of Tk 35,000.
Although there was no educational requirement for drivers before, the new law requires at least an eighth-grade education to obtain a driving license. Conductors or driver's assistants must have at least a fifth-grade education, including the ability to read and write.
If someone drives a vehicle without a driving license, they will be punished with a maximum of 6 months imprisonment or a maximum fine of 50,000 taka or both. Anyone who commits this crime can be arrested without a warrant. In this case, the current penalty is 3 months imprisonment or a fine of 5,000 taka.
A driver's assistant license will be required. Failure to obtain a conductor's license will result in a one-month prison sentence or a fine of Tk 25,000.
Previously, the maximum penalty for using a fake driving license was 2 years in prison or a fine of 100,000 taka. In the proposed law, the main penalty remains the same as before, with a fine of 300,000 taka.
Currently, the maximum penalty for driving a motor vehicle without fitness is 6 months in prison or a fine of 10,000 taka. It has now been proposed to increase the penalty to 1 year in prison or a fine of 100,000 taka. This penalty will mainly be imposed on the vehicle owner.
In case of an accident, the punishment provided for in the Penal Code will be applicable. If the accident results in intentional homicide, then Section 302 of the Penal Code will apply. The punishment for this is death penalty. If there is no homicide, Section 304 will apply. In this case, the punishment is life imprisonment. If the accident is due to reckless driving, the punishment can be 3 years imprisonment under Section 304 (B).
If the vehicle exceeds the weight limit, the maximum penalty is 3 years in prison or a fine of 3 lakh taka. Here, both the owner and the driver are included, they will both be liable.
Reckless driving and tailgating will result in a 3-year prison sentence or a fine of Tk 2.5 million if an accident occurs. The proposed law provides for a 2-year prison sentence or a fine of Tk 2 million if reckless driving does not result in an accident.
The new Road Transport Act also provides for deduction of points due to driver's mistakes. For this, 12 points have been kept. If a driver commits a crime, his points will be deducted. If someone's 12 points are deducted, he will never get a driving license again. The law states how many points will be deducted and how much punishment will be imposed.