No sleeper buses on roads without approval: HC

The High Court has rejected an application by the Bangladesh Sleeper AC Bus Owners Association seeking permission to operate sleeper buses on highways across the country. 

The court ruled that only buses approved by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) — in line with the Road Transport Act, 2018, and the Road Transport Rules, 2022 — may operate on the roads. 

Authorities face no legal barrier to taking action against unauthorised sleeper buses.

A High Court bench of Justice KM Hafizul Alam and Justice Murad-A-Maola Sohel issued the order on Wednesday.

Lawyer Rafiul Islam, representing the BRTA, told the court that Section 40 of the Road Transport Act, 2018, sets out the technical specifications for vehicles. Operating a vehicle in violation of those specifications is an offence under Section 84, punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Tk 3 lakh. 

Citing Section 28 of the Act, he added that no vehicle may run on the roads without a route permit.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Rafiul Islam said the court made clear that only BRTA-approved buses are allowed to operate. There is no authorisation for sleeper buses, and the High Court did not grant any such permission. Consequently, sleeper buses cannot run on highways without BRTA approval and route permits; they must fully comply with the Road Transport Act and the prescribed technical standards.

Lawyer Muhammad Huzzatul Islam Khan, who filed the original writ petition, was also present. 

He said the High Court had earlier asked the BRTA, under the Right to Information Act, whether it had ever granted permission for sleeper bus operations. The BRTA replied that no such permission had been issued.

Huzzatul Islam Khan filed the writ petition on January 23, 2025, seeking orders to stop the operation of unauthorised sleeper buses in the interest of passenger safety. 

In response, the Bangladesh Sleeper AC Bus Owners Association submitted a supplementary application asking the court to restrain authorities from seizing, dumping or taking any other punitive action against their buses through mobile courts or other proceedings.

In its application, the association stated that around 1,000 sleeper AC buses are operated by 89 transport companies and that the livelihoods of approximately 218,950 people are directly or indirectly tied to the sector.