With just two days left until the largest Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Azha, residents of Dhaka are leaving the capital to enjoy the holidays and celebrate with their families. Alongside the exodus for Eid, city dwellers are experiencing a shortage of public transport, both for long-distance travel and within the capital.
On Saturday morning (15 June), the streets of Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, and Banglamotor were observed to be unusually empty, with a noticeable lack of public transport.
At various bus points, people were seen waiting for transport to their destinations. Most public transport vehicles had empty seats due to the shortage of passengers. However, commuters expressed relief at being able to reach their destinations quickly on traffic-free roads.
Transport operators, however, expressed frustration over the lack of passengers. Some passengers accused transport operators of charging higher fares, citing the Eid festival as an excuse.
Md Sajib, a passenger traveling from Kalyanpur to Kamalapur, told Barta24.com, "I got on the bus at Kalyanpur to go to Kamalapur. They're charging 10-20 taka more than usual. When asked why, they say we usually take you for this fare, so give an extra 10 taka as an Eid tip. What can we do? We can't argue."
Another passenger, Md. Rasel, said, "Due to fewer cars and people on the roads, there is no traffic jam. We can reach any place quickly. However, they are charging a bit more. This time of year, one can't really complain about the extra fare."
When asked about the transport shortage, an assistant of Labbaik Paribahan said, "Many vehicles have been reserved for long-distance passengers. Some are ferrying passengers to Paturia Ghat in stages. All the company's vehicles are making trips outside Dhaka. That's why there are fewer vehicles in the city."
