The government has decided to purchase 100 electric buses under its Pink Bus initiative, aiming to introduce them by February next year to expand women-friendly public transport.

Shahadat Hossain, deputy press secretary to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, announced the decision in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"The government has decided to purchase 100 electric buses as part of the Pink Bus initiative to expand women-friendly public transport," he wrote.

"The government has set a target to put these buses on the roads by February next year," he added.

The announcement comes nearly three months after the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) launched the Pink Bus service on August 18 with 14 buses across Dhaka and several other cities.

The service, designed exclusively for female passengers, employs women drivers and conductors.

The government first announced the initiative in the national budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year, aiming to provide safer and more accessible public transport for women.

At the August launch, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam outlined plans to purchase 200 electric buses, including 100 dedicated to female passengers.

However, the existing service has faced challenges, including limited availability, irregular schedules and low passenger numbers on some routes.

Recent media reports found that some passengers struggled to find buses at designated stops, while several routes were operating at a loss.

Women-only bus services have been introduced several times in Bangladesh since the 1980s, but previous initiatives struggled with operational and financial difficulties.

The latest expansion aims to increase the number of dedicated buses for women while promoting environmentally friendly public transport.

Shadhin did not disclose the estimated cost of purchasing the buses, the funding arrangements or the routes where they would operate.