Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) has redesigned the single-trip tickets of the Dhaka Metro Rail by removing four images symbolizing Bangladesh’s language and independence struggles.

The new design sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many questioning the decision to remove these historical representations.

The change came to public attention after DMTCL, which operates the metro rail, introduced 20,000 redesigned single-ride tickets.

These tickets no longer include images of the Central Martyr Minar, the National Mausoleum, the National Parliament Building and the national flower, the lotus.

Instead they only show the view of the subway track.

The redesign follows the disappearance of nearly 200,000 single-trip tickets, which authorities suspect were taken by passengers rather than returned after the trip.

DMTCL has been offering two types of cards since its launch in December 2022: MRT Pass (permanent card) and single-ride ticket.

Previously, both cards featured symbolic images and looked almost identical with minor text differences; This situation was reportedly causing confusion at the subway doors.

MRT Line-6’s additional project director Md Zakaria said missing tickets were disrupting operations. To solve this problem, DMTCL has ordered 440,000 new single-ride tickets from Japan, of which 20,000 are already in circulation.

He added that the design change was necessary to create a clear distinction between the two types of cards and reduce operational issues at the gates.

He also said some passengers were mistakenly trying to reuse their single-trip tickets with “tap and go” methods similar to MRT Pass.

“So we had to change the color of the card and by doing that we had to change the design as well,” he said.

Social media reaction to the new design was mixed.

While many questioned the decision to remove symbols reflecting the country’s heritage, others defended it by pointing out that metro cards in many countries do not display such images.

When asked about criticism on social media, he said, “We wanted to create a ‘certain difference’ between the MRT Pass and the one-way ticket. What can we do if some people raise their eyebrows?”

The MRT Line-6 ​​project from Uttara to Kamalapur at a cost of ₹33,472 crore opened the Uttara-Motijheel section to the public in November 2023.

Construction of Motijheel-Kamalapur section is ongoing.