Bus shortages, higher fares deepen Eid travel woes on Tangail highway

Homebound travellers on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway have been facing bus shortages and higher fares on the eve of Eid, with some forced to take risky trips in trucks and pickup vans.

People heading to the northern districts were still returning home on Friday, but public transport on the route was running below normal levels, creating a marked shortage of buses.

Many passengers were seen waiting for hours at the Rabna and Elenga bus stands, some alone and others with their families, hoping to find a vehicle home, bdnews24.com reports.

Several travellers complained that transport workers were demanding extra fares at the last moment.

Mizanur Rahman, who was travelling to Dimla in Nilphamari, said he had decided to leave on the eve of Eid in the hope of avoiding the earlier travel rush.

“I work at a business in Tangail. For the past two days, traffic on the highway was heavy and I heard people suffered a lot,” he said.

“So I decided to leave on the eve of Eid. But that didn't help. Even after waiting for an hour and a half, I couldn't find a bus to Dimla.”

Akkas Ali, who was heading to Bogura, said he found one bus but was told he would have to travel while standing and pay nearly double the normal fare.

“Normally I can go home for Tk 400 to Tk 500, but today they are demanding Tk 800,” he said.

Hasna Begum said she was travelling to Rangpur in a pickup van because no buses were available.

“I have already been out in the sun since the morning. It may rain later,” she said.

“If it rains, we will get soaked. For low-income people like me, there is no end to the suffering.”

Highway Police, however, said vehicle pressure on the highway was low and that homebound passengers from the northern districts were returning in relative comfort.

Elenga Highway Police Outpost chief Md Sharif said traffic pressure on the highway was “very low” on the eve of Eid.