Sale of advance bus tickets begin amidst chaos and charging of premiums

Advanced booking of bus tickets for northern and southern towns have begun ahead of Eid amidst the familiar mismanagement and charging of extra sums.

Every year, the rush for purchasing advance tickets is the maximum at the Gabtoli bus terminal. The picture this year was no different when sale began on Friday.

Those standing in front of the Hanif Paribahan counter at Balurmath in Gabtoli said people began queuing up from 2.30am. Several hundred of them had gathered by the time the counter opened at 5.30am 

Buses leaving from Gabtoli mainly go to northern and southern districts of Bangladesh. It was learnt from those manning the counters that tickets would be sold on Saturday and Sunday as well if there were any left.

 RMG worker Golam Rabbani, who came from Ashulia to buy tickets for Dinajpur, stood in the line at Hanif Paribahan’s counter around the time for Sehri, a little before dawn. 

He was beaming with joy when he finally managed to get tickets around 11am. “I wanted five but got three. Going home for the Eid.”

Nawab Ali, who works at a private firm, alleged that higher prices were being charged due to the huge demand.

“They are taking Tk 850 for the destination that otherwise would cost Tk 600. I wanted tickets up to Dinajpur’s Baliadanga but they made me buy tickets for all the way to Thakurgaon.”

‘Arnab’, a Dhaka University student, had the same story to tell. He claimed he had to pay Tk 650 at the Hanif Paribahan’s counter in Kalyanpur to get a ticket to Jessore that, otherwise, costs Tk 480. 

The allegations were found to be true after talking to the service’s manager for northern region, Md Wahiduzzaman. 

He told bdnews24.com, “We are not charging extra and are taking the listed price. However, no matter where they get down, we are charging the fares for the last stop.

“There is a huge demand for tickets on July 15-16. We are trying to ensure everyone gets them. We have enough buses.”

Taslima Akhter, a student of Eden College, complained there were no separate lines for women. She had to reach the counter at 6am for a ticket to Rajshahi which was a hassle in itself.

Wahiduzzaman said, “It is impossible to make a separate line for them. As a result, the crowd seems big.”

Although Gabtoli is teeming with people looking for advance tickets, the terminal in Mohakhali looked its usual relaxed self. 

Since it caters mostly to buses plying to districts close to Dhaka, there was no rush for advanced booking. 

However, the terminal’s transport owners’ association chief Abul Kalam said they had released advance tickets for longer routes like Sylhet, Bianibazar, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Rajshahi.