Eid exodus: People leave capital amid ticket anarchy, gridlocks

Dhaka-dwellers have started leaving the capital in huge numbers since Friday morning enduring exorbitant ticket fares, highway gridlocks and schedule disasters of public transports.

Md Hadiuzzaman, a Sirajganj-bound holidaymaker, did not get a bus ticket from the Technical Bus stops of the capital on Friday morning.

After a few hours of desperate hunt, he managed to purchase a ticket for Tk450, which is Tk150 more than the regular fare. His coach was scheduled to leave at 1 pm.

But due to a shortage of vehicles and heavy traffic congestion, the bus was delayed for four hours.

Hadiuzzaman told The Business Standard, "Managing the ticket was the toughest part of this Eid journey, not to mention the on-road sufferings that are lying ahead. But the fact that I am going home to celebrate Eid with my family is worth the effort."

A shortage in public transport has also been reported. The government has banned inter-district motorcycle movement – a move that according to many worsened the sufferings of holidaymakers.   

Jahangir Alam, a driver of Jenin Transport Service, told TBS that there is an acute shortage of buses from Dhaka to North Bengal routes. The number of passengers is much higher than transport companies have originally anticipated.

"We have re-routed some of our Dhaka-Chattogram route vehicles to Dhaka-Sirajganj route to handle the pressure," he said.

The transport shortage is being used by companies as leverage to hike the ticket fares even more, according to many home-bound passengers.

The local public buses of Dhaka were also seen carrying passengers outside of Dhaka with additional fares, they alleged.

Long tailbacks on the Dhaka-Tangail highway

A 35-km tailback was created on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway on Friday following a road accident on the Bridge.

"One person was killed in a collision involving a bus and a pickup van near the west side of the bridge. The bridge authorities stopped collecting tolls for one hour and 40 minutes, which created the gridlock," Bangabandhu Bridge East Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shafiqul Islam told The Business Standard. 

Superintendent of Police Mohammad Kaiser said more than 700 police had been deployed on the highway to ease traffic congestion.

Alongside buses, people were seen returning to their hometowns on open trucks and pickups. Women and children suffered the most due to the tailback.

Never-ending wait for buses at Dhaka terminals

Hundreds of home-bound passengers who gathered at various bus terminals of the capital were seen scrambling for tickets for hours.

Seeing no alternatives, many picked the risky option of going to their villages by trucks or pickups, The Business Standard correspondent observed while visiting the Gulistan, Sayedabad and Jatrabari bus terminals.

Similar scenarios were observed on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, where scores of people have been waiting for buses since morning.

Akbar Hossain said, "I have failed to secure a bus ticket even after waiting in terminals for long hours. Now I have decided to board a pickup van."

Train schedule disaster at Kamalapur Station

Almost all trains in Kamalapur Railway Station were delayed for 3-4 hours, aggravating the suffering of passengers.

Thousands of passengers were gathered on the platform of the train station. As trains arrived, many were seen climbing onto the train roofs to reach their hometowns.

Despite restrictions on travelling on train roofs, no action was taken by the law enforcement agencies or the station authorities to handle the situation.

Mohammad Masud Sarwar, manager of Kamalapur Railway Station, said, "About 70,000 to 80,000 people have boarded the train since yesterday. The mad rush of passengers has some effect on the schedule."

Gridlocks on Mawa expressway and Padma Bridge toll plaza

Sporadic traffic congestion has also been witnessed on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway and in front of the Padma Bridge toll plazas since Friday morning.

Although vehicular movement on the Padma Bridge was smooth, slight congestion was seen at Mawa and Janjira toll points. However, the process of toll collection was relatively quick.

"Traffic has been increasing since Friday dawn, and the number of private cars is high. The bridge authority has deployed additional security personnel so that people can cross the Padma bridges without any hindrance," said Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) Executive Engineer Mahbubur Rahman.

Bikers cross Padma River on ferries

A huge number of motorcyclists were seen waiting at Shimulia ghat on Friday to board a ferry as the authorities have banned two-wheelers on the Padma Bridge.

The development comes a day after bikes were seen crossing the Padma River on trawlers, a rather risky endeavour to say the least.

A spokesperson of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Faisal Ahmed told TBS that motorbikes were given permission to board ferries under special considerations.

Passenger Welfare Association denounces ticket fare hike

The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association has demanded an end to fare hikes on the road as well as on waterways.

"Capitalising on the public transportation crisis, transport owners are making illegal profit by raising fares," said Passenger Welfare Association Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury in a statement sent to the media on Friday.

According to the public welfare platform, the fares on the capital's city service buses have been raised five to six times since Thursday evening.

The fares of Leguna, rickshaws and CNG-driven auto-rickshaws have also been increased two to four times in the city, it said.