Passengers vie for buses in Mohakhali while Sayedabad lacks passengers

While Eid travellers are vying for buses at Mohakhali Bus Terminal, Sayedabad Bus Terminal has been experiencing a shortage of passengers as very few Eid travellers opt for buses headed to the eastern and southern parts of the country.

The situation could be seen at the two bus terminals from the morning to afternoon on Thursday.

At Mohakhali, passengers complained of severe bus shortages and excess fares. They say, trips that normally cost Tk 200 were going for between Tk 800 and Tk 1,000. However, transport workers at the bus counters say they have not charged anything extra than the listed fares.

On the ground, long queues of frustrated passengers were seen waiting for tickets and buses. Many who had already purchased tickets—either online or in advance—were collecting the tickets standing in line, unsure when their buses would arrive.

TICKETS AVAILABLE, BUT NO BUSES

Passengers travelling to the Mymensingh Division and Tangail have been suffering from both ticket and bus shortages since Thursday morning.

Some were waiting for the buses after securing the tickets while some got neither tickets, nor buses.

Imran Hossain, a passenger from Mymensingh, said, “My younger sister and I have been standing in line for two hours, but we haven’t got tickets yet. I’m not sure when we will get them.”

Another passenger, Sohel Rana, travelling to Mymensingh, said he arrived at 5am and got a ticket, but no bus had arrived as of noon.

Another passenger, Junaid Ahmed, standing in the queue to collect tickets, said: "I haven't received my ticket yet. I'm standing in the queue. Let’s see when I'll get my ticket."

Tangail-bound passenger Ashraful Akash said, "I got my ticket at 9am, but after waiting an hour, there is still no bus."

Netrokona-bound passenger Ahmed Hossain said, "I don't have anything - bus or ticket. I've been sitting here for three hours."

HIGHER FARE ENSURES BUS, TICKET

Passengers travelling to the Mymensingh Division allege that some operators are keeping the counters closed and boarding passengers from inside the terminal at inflated fares. Hence, fares ranging between Tk 200 to Tk 300 have surged to Tk 800 to Tk 1,200. Mymensingh-bound passenger Homaira Begum complained, “We used to pay Tk 200-Tk 250 for travel to Mymensingh. Today, they are asking for Tk 800. How can I go home? They call us inside and say, pay Tk 800 and get on board. Let’s see if I can find something for a lower fare.”

Niloy Islam, a passenger headed to Tangail, said: "The bus people are syndicating. They have deliberately created a bus crisis so that they can charge more in fares."

Another passenger named Salam Mia said, "They closed the counter and called the passengers and asked for Tk 1,200 or Tk 1,000. They have pushed the fare of Tk 250 up to Tk 1,000. How we can travel like this?”

Mahmuda, a 50-year-old woman, said she had bought her tickets earlier. “Tickets were bought beforehand. I've been waiting here since morning while fasting. There’s no news of the bus coming.”

Bus owners claimed that severe traffic jams were preventing the buses from arriving at the bus terminal. They added that they were unable to handle the sudden rush of passengers.

Jewel, the counter master for Ishwarganj Paribahan, said: "Today, there is less passenger pressure compared to yesterday. However, there is always more passenger pressure in the morning.

"We give out tickets when the bus arrives at the counter. When the seats in the bus are full, it leaves. When a bus leaves, new tickets are sold for the next one."

Md Mehedi Hasan, supervisor of Shyamoli Bangla Paribahan, said: "Many buses have left the terminal since the morning. Due to traffic jams, buses are not coming to the terminal on time."

SHORTAGE OF PASSENGERS IN SAYEDABAD

Most passengers travelling to the eastern and southern parts of the country take the Sayedabad route.

Since the opening of the Padma Bridge, counters have been set up in Sayedabad for south-bound passengers. However, there are launch services available at the Sadarghat, which have pushed down the number of passengers opting for buses, those involved with the business say.

Moreover, passenger demand on the Sylhet and Chattogram routes is also low. Therefore, bus owners suffer from passenger shortages.

The Sayedabad Fakir Bari bus counter is now key for passengers travelling to the eastern and southern regions.

Counter Master Md Jahangir Alam of the bus operator Nilachal, which runs to and from Noakhali’s Lakshmipur, said: "The buses are available, but there are no passengers. To make the buses leave on time, at least seven to eight seats have to be left empty. The bus that just left had eight empty seats."

Shimul Chandra Roy, counter manager of Sylhet-bound Shyamoli NR Travels, said, "Now you see, there are fewer passengers than usual. Can you show me which bus has sufficient passengers? There are many empty seats in all the buses."

Counter Master Jahangir of the Chattogram-bound Hanif Paribahan said, "We have passenger pressure here, but since there are too many buses, no passenger needs to wait. In some cases, we are leaving with a few seats empty."

The police sergeant on duty at the Fakir Bari counter area said, "The passenger pressure is very low, so it is a bit of a relief."

SAYEDABAD TERMINAL NEARLY DESERTED

Long-haul buses usually depart the Sayedabad Terminal at night.

Aside from them, some buses depart during the day time as well.

Buses travelling to Kishoreganj and Bhairab depart from Sayedabad Terminal 1.

Emon, a ticket seller for Isha Kha buses on the route, said: "The pressure of passengers is very low. However, our buses will not remain empty. Because there are (ticket) counters in Jatrabari and Chittagong Road.”

While visiting Terminal 2, assistants to the bus drivers were seen calling for more passengers. Many of the buses couldn’t depart as there were not enough passengers.

Counter Master of RP Line Paribahan on the Dhaka-Bagerhat route Md Kamruzzaman said, “There are buses but not enough passengers. Helpers are calling for passengers.”

“Where are the passengers? Previously, could you have even reached us to talk? Today you can see hundreds of buses, but only 10 to 12 passengers,” said Raju Ahmed, ticket seller at the counter of Banaful Transport, which travels from Dhaka to Mathbaria.