Eid home-goers find 'comfort' in bus journeys from Dhaka

Despite having small hiccups on the way, Eid holidaymakers from Dhaka to other parts of Bangladesh are calling the bus journeys relatively comfortable.

The reason is they are getting tickets on arrival and there are no long tailbacks reported on the major highways.

Traffic congestion was reported from Meghna Bridge, and there were slow movements in Dhaka-Tangail road. Transport companies were allegedly charging more than the usual price for tickets at the counter.

bdnews24.com  spoke to some of the passengers in different Dhaka terminals who said they they were to accept those anomalies and little delays as they would be able to join their loved ones for the festival.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said 'many people' told him by telephone after reaching home that the roads were 'better' than before.

Travellers headed for the northern region complained mostly about slow-moving traffic on Dhaka-Tangail Highway. The picture was said to be the same for buses bound for Mymensingh from Mohakhali terminal.

Passengers at Gabtoli and Kalyanpur bus terminals said on Friday would not see the 'little delay' in departure as 'sufferings'.

Officials at the ticket counters admitted that there were traffic jams on the highways, but 'not as painful as before'.

During a visit to the Sayedabad Bus Terminal, the minister said there was 'no gridlock' on the highways, but the vehicles are 'moving slowly in two or one places'.

"There is no traffic jam in Bangladesh at this very moment (5pm). Vehicles are moving slowly in two or one places but enjoying high-speed travel elsewhere. No vehicle is stuck in any gridlock," said Quader.

At Kalyanpur, college teacher Atiqur Rahman, who was travelling to Gaibandha, said he had bought tickets in advance and arrived at the Shyamoli Paribahan counter much before schedule as he had started early fearing traffic jams inside the capital.

"I've heard that no bus ran late today. Let's see what happens to me," he said and added that one hour or one and half hours of delay is 'tolerable during Eid'.

Manpower businessman Abdus Sattar's reaction was similar. He was travelling to Chuadanga. 

Sagar Islam, waiting for a bus to Rangpur, said, "I don't think it will take longer than normal for the bus to arrive."

Khulna-bound NGO official Shahedul Islam had not booked any seat. He was happy to get a ticket of Druti Paribahan at the counter.

But he complained that the transporters were charging an extra fare. "I bought the ticket for Tk 500 which usually sells at Tk 270-300," he said.

Factory worker Mahmud Hasan was waiting for a ticket at SR Travels counter for Joypurhat.

"Tickets are still available after the advance sales. I will also get one. But they are taking Tk 530 in place of Tk 400," he said.

SR Travels official Masudur Rahman, however, denied the allegation of charging the extra. "We are not taking more than government-fixed fares."

"There are some traffic congestions at Jamuna bridge, but not so huge," he said on being asked about the state of the travels.

Official Eid holiday was from Sunday to Tuesday next. But people began leaving the capital city for village homes as early as Thursday, the day before a two-day weekend.

Traffic jam cleared on the Meghna Bridge on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway after hours of massive congestion on Thursday night, according to transport officials.

Buses to Comilla, Chittagong, Noakhali and Sylhet were running on schedule to and from the Sayedabad Bus Terminal.

The Mawa highway is free of congestion, said a Sayedabad terminal staff member responsible for routes to Barisal and Khulna.