Hartal-blockades: Transport sector faces over Tk2,100cr loss in 9 days
Bus owners and transport workers are losing around Tk161 crore per day due to reduced trips, while those involved in the operation of trucks and covered vans are experiencing a daily loss of about Tk78 crore, they say
In nine days following the 28 October rallies held in the capital by the BNP and like-minded parties, and the subsequent hartal and blockade programmes in Bangladesh, the transport sector has suffered a loss of about Tk2,153 crore, according to transport owners' and workers' organisations.
Bus owners and transport workers are losing around Tk161 crore per day due to reduced trips, while those involved in the operation of trucks and covered vans are experiencing a daily loss of about Tk78 crore, they say.
Around 45 buses departed for Mymensingh from the Mohakhali Inter-city Bus Terminal yesterday. However, there were fewer buses left for Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Tangail, Jamalpur, Sherpur, and other destinations.
Abul Kalam, president of the Mohakhali Inter-city Bus Owners' Association, said under normal circumstances, around 700 vehicles leave Mohakhali daily. However, due to hartals and blockades, only around one hundred are currently in operation.
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Kalam expressed concern that running buses only two days a week makes it financially challenging to cover workers' wages. Consequently, business owners are grappling with managing expenses, including bus operation costs and bank loan instalments.
Mahbubur Rahman, vice president of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, highlighted that a mere 20% of buses are operational nationwide, including the capital.
Rahman explained that with 3,500 buses running daily in the capital, owners and workers collectively earn Tk1.58 crore per day, averaging around Tk4,500 each. However, due to blockades, this income has plummeted to Tk32.50 lakh, resulting in a daily loss of Tk1.26 crore for operating buses in the capital.
Under typical circumstances, approximately 200,000 long-distance bus trips across the country generate about Tk10,000 each, resulting in a daily earning of Tk200 crore nationwide.
However, citing a decrease to Tk40 crore, Abdul Motaleb, owner of Bismillah Transport Agency and General Secretary of the Bangladesh Covered Van Truck Ponnyo Paribahan Malik Association, noted a daily loss of Tk160 crore in this sector.
Motaleb further explained that, operating at 35% capacity during nighttime due to lower risks, the goods transportation service sees a daily income of Tk120 crore at Tk3,000 per trip. However, with a 65% reduction in transport due to the strike, a daily loss of Tk78 crore is incurred.
Highlighting the crisis faced by over 7 lakh transport workers engaged in the goods transportation sector due to insufficient income, he noted that only a few workers in this field receive fixed income, which is quite minimal. The majority of workers earn a commission of 10% of the gross revenue for each trip.
Long distance bus movement slightly increased
On Monday, the second day of the fourth round of blockades called by the opposition, the number of medium and long-distance buses leaving Mohakhali Inter-city Bus Terminal increased slightly than the previous day.
In addition to Mymensingh, buses from Mohakhali operated in routes to various destinations including Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Tangail, and Narayanganj.
Most bus counters for these destinations were open on Monday afternoon.
However, the lower-than-usual presence of passengers resulted in less buses being dispatched, despite the readiness of transport owners and staff.
Arif, a counter-boy of the Shahjalal Paribahan bus that operates to Mohanganj via Netrakona, said, "Four buses have left since morning today."
Highlighting that only two buses were operational until noon the previous day, he said "Despite blockade, people are now coming out for travel"
Meanwhile, Abul Hosain, counter manager of Sonar Bangla Paribahan for the Dhaka-Sherpur route, said, "Only one bus departed the terminal until three in the afternoon."
"People are still in fear, fewer passengers are coming. We ourselves are scared after one of our buses was set on fire a few days back," he explained.
However, the number of buses departing for Kishoreganj is also significantly lower than usual.
Under normal circumstances for Ananya Paribahan, one bus departs every 10 minutes from Mohakhali.
"I came in the morning, but there were no passengers. So I went home for lunch. Even after returning, there are still not enough passengers. How can I start a bus?" said Manwar, the counter manager of the bus.
Hanif Transport, which typically conducts 500 to 600 daily trips across the country, is currently operating only 50-60 trips, according to Mosharraf Hossain, the general manager of Hanif Paribahan.
Hossain shared an example of a bus departing from Gabtoli to Panchagarh with only 14 passengers in a 40-seater bus on Monday. He emphasised that failing to board 25-30 passengers results in financial losses for the bus operation.
At Gabtoli Bus Terminal, a Shyamoli Transport counter representative mentioned that, as of Monday afternoon, two long-distance buses were dispatched. Additional buses may operate in the afternoon if conditions improve.
