Pandemic gives a boost to ambulance business
Businesses invested more in ambulance import last year after the Covid-19 outbreak. The photo was taken in front of Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital in Dhaka recently. Photo: Anisur Rahman
The number of ambulances hitting the streets is on the rise as businesses are spending more on import amid an increase in its demand during the ongoing pandemic.
Some 788 units of ambulances got registered in 2020, up 18 per cent year-on-year, according to data from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Businesses invested more in ambulance import last year after the Covid-19 outbreak, when the demand for the vehicle started increasing, said Mohammad Shahidul Islam, secretary general of the Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (Barvida).
Pandemic wreaks havoc on car sales
Additional road tax also to blame
Passenger vehicle sales fell by around 26 per cent in 2020 compared to the previous year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and imposition of additional road tax.
Passenger car sales were at its lowest in the past seven years as a total of 12,403 units were sold in 2020 while it was 14,681 units in 2014.
Sales started rising in 2014 and continued to increase until 2019, according to data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
However, the Covid-19 fallout and imposition of additional road tax negatively affected the industry, market players said. The government decided to increase advanced income tax, commonly known as road tax, by 67 per cent for the current fiscal year.