Passengers suffer amid nationwide transport strike

A nationwide indefinite transport strike has begun from Friday morning causing huge sufferings to passengers across the country.

 
Due to the strike, all kinds of long-haul buses and goods transport have been halted, worsening the woes of commuters.

Public bus and goods transport owners, who have suffered heavy losses because of lockdowns, enforced the strike protesting the decision to hike prices of diesel and kerosene. They also demanded that fares be readjusted.

Buses of only two-three companies and state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) were seen on the city streets.

However, many private cars, rickshaws, CNG-run auto-rickshaw and motorcycles were seen plying on the roads.

Shamim, a vegetable retailer of Karwan Bazar said that he had to pay an extra Tk5,000-8,000 on Thursday night to transport his vegetables on truck.

Shafiq Ahmed, a truck driver, said that trucks, except those carrying vegetables, did not enter Dhaka at night amid fear of strike.  

 

Passengers who were out on the streets on Friday morning, alleged that auto-rickshaw drivers, rickshaw drivers are charging three to four times more than regular fare taking advantage of the strike.

Karim Sheikh, a rickshaw driver, said that he has already earned Tk700 since morning.

Besides, commuters, who left Dhaka for emergency works since morning, were seen hiring microbus with extra fare as there was no long-route buses.

They are not getting any vehicle even after waiting for a long time. Even though CNG is running, the CNG drivers are charging double fare to the passengers, alleged the sufferers.

Md Abdur Razzak, a train passenger who came from Cumilla this morning, was in trouble after getting down from the train in Airport Station.

As there was no public bus on roads, he counted extra Tk150 auto rickshaw fare for going to Mirpur 12, he said.

Mohammad Ratul, a private job holder and resident of Mirpur 12, said "I need to go to Uttara for office work. But I was in great trouble on the road and had to wait for about half an hour for an auto rickshaw."

But today the app showed a charge of Tk220, he said.

Mohammad Badal Khan, a supervisor of Mirpur Link bus, said they had about 30 vehicles. But yesterday the owner could not take a penny in his pocket as profit. The whole money was spent to buy oil. 

Chattogram

The nationwide transport strike has caused huge hardship for commuters in the port city as they have to pay extra fees to reach their destination.

With the indefinite strike called from this morning, a few bus, minibuses are operating on the roads and prolonging travel times.

Since the indefinite strike began this morning, some minibuses are running on the road and asking for extra money over usual fares.

Sohel Rana, a banker from Newmarket in Kotwali thana, was waiting for the bus for one hour and didn't get a single bus or auto-rickshaw.

He said he had to go to Patenga area to meet his parents, but there were fewer transport options so he had to postpone the visit.

Autorickshaws are charging double fares, and rickshaw pullers are also increasing their rent in this crisis time, resulting in short-distance passengers paying extra money for travel.

M Belayet Hossain, President of Chattogram Transport Owner Group said, Metro-Probhati and Sonar Bangla service will continue but all the local-city buses will remain suspended until any final decision.

If any owner wants to run their transport, we have nothing to say, he added.

Rajshahi 

No bus, minibus or trucks were operated in or out of the city from 6am on Friday as transport strike is underway following the price hike of diesel and kerosene.

Passengers are suffering due to this strike in long haul transports.

Khulna 

The bus-truck strike called by the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation and the Bangladesh Truck-Bus Owners Association has left thousands of people in the south-west, including Khulna, in dire straits.

People who are having to travel to Dhaka for emergency work and students who are taking part in admission tests in universities are suffering immensely. 

Failing to get a bus at the Shonadanga bus terminal many commuters were seen going to the rail station.

Railway station master Ashik Ahmed said they are also struggling to tackle the extra pressure of passengers.

Gazipur

Long-haul bus, minibus and trucks on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway have been halted since morning. 

This has stranded thousands of passengers. CNG run autorickshaw and battery run autorickshaw drivers are taking advantage of this situation and asking for much higher fares than usual.

Netrokona

The scene is similar in Netorkona as well. Many people are going to the bus stand and having to opt for CNG run autorickshaw or trains.

Autorickshaws are hiking up the fare and trains are carrying passengers higher than its capacity.

Shatkhira

Inter-district as well as intra-district travel has been halted in Satkhira as all long-haul bus, truck and covered vans have stopped operations from Friday morning.

Easy-bikes (three wheeler human haulers) are operating on the roads and hiking extra fares. 

On Wednesday, the government increased the prices of the fuels by Tk15 per litre.
 
Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Owners Association President Tofazzal Hossain Majumder said, "Transport owners are already under a lot of pressure. Now, due to the increased price of diesel, it will be impossible for us to operate vehicles. This move [fuel price hike] is illogical."
 
Moreover, the government did not discuss the issue of price hikes with the transport leaders, Tofazzal Hossain claimed.
 
The fuel price hike is going to be an unbearable burden with its cascading effects – from irrigation cost to transportation of commodities, all will shoot up and eventually be passed on to consumers.
 
The dent in the consumer's wallets caused by the hike in kerosene and diesel prices comes at a time when most people are already struggling with rising commodity prices.

Meanwhile, in Noakhali, the movement of diesel-run vehicles remained suspended since Friday morning on the instructions of the district bus owners' association.

Passenger buses and freight trucks have also stopped operating in Brahmanbaria like other parts of the country in protest of the diesel price hike.

On Friday morning, some long-distance buses left for their destinations, but the bus service was suspended from 12 noon. However, local bus services are normal within the district. Passengers have suffered due to the unannounced bus strike.