"We wanted to begin the service from this June but Progoti Industries could not deliver even one of the 20 minibuses," said a high official of BRTC. Progoti assembles heavy vehicles in the country by bringing components from abroad. "Maybe it is taking more time because of the import process," said the official.

He was however confident that the service could begin from July this year.

Progoti Industries, a wing of Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation is due to supply the 20 minibuses to BRTC for running cheap and comfortable bus service for tourism in the capital and adjoining areas.

BRTC chairman Taimur Alam Khandokar had earlier told the Star City that the initiative had been taken to enable low and middle income groups and especially students to avail the opportunity of visiting historical places and important establishments at a low cost.

"We believe this offer will be convenient for people to visit tourist attractions easily," the chairman said. He said the BRTC opted for the minibuses as they cost less. Also, the BRTC has to withdraw its buses from regular routes when people or organisations hire buses for pleasure trips. Once the service is in operation, such problems would not arise.

"Heavy buses cost around 24 lakh Taka each while each of the 30-seater minibuses will cost 12.63 lakh Taka."

Progoti Industries will supply 20 minibuses in first phase. Eventually, the target is to have 50 buses in the fleet.

The chairman said the minibuses might run on specific routes fixed by the BRTC to cover different tourist attractions. Ten such spots including the Ahsan Manzil and Lalbagh Fort have been selected but not finalised. The buses will be available for hire by educational institutions and other organisations.

When asked about the fare, BRTC officials said that nothing has been fixed as yet. They said it would depend on fuel cost. The chairman however, said the fare would be less than that of private bus companies.