Hassle-free waterbus services launched in Chattogram

The much-awaited waterbus services for Chattogram airport passengers was finally launched this morning.

At 7am the first waterbus left Chattogram Sadarghat terminal for the Shah Amanat International Airport in Patenga with 20-passengers.

Authorities said that currently, the waterbuses will make only five trips on the Chattogram Sadarghat-Patenga route between 7:00am to 9:00pm every day. 

"After the formal inauguration, it will make 11 trips between 6:55am to 10:00pm," Md Sabbab Hossain, managing director of SS Trading, the company operating the waterbus services.

For each one-way trip, a passenger will have to pay Tk350 under its current promotional offer. However, the regular fare has been fixed at Tk400. The journey will be a 30-minute hassle-free commute.

The air-conditioned waterbuses have WiFi facilities and can accommodate 30 people, including 25 seated and five standing passengers. Each waterbus is three-feet deep, 37-feet long and 11-feet wide.

Upon reaching the Patenga terminal, passengers will be taken to Shah Amanat International Airport by a shuttle bus. Many passengers miss their flights from Chattogram airport due to traffic congestion.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) initiated this waterbus service in a bid to cut traffic congestion and travel time to Shah Amanat International Airport.

CPA signed an agreement with Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) for operating waterbuses on the Sadarghat-Patenga route and the latter gave the contract to SS Trading, an infrastructure company, to operate the service.

"We are waiting for the schedule of some dignified guests to officially inaugurate the services in full swing," said Md Sabbab Hossain, managing director of SS Trading.