Dhaka bus terminals still crowded with departing passengers after Eid

Many people could not leave Dhaka by the first day of Eid. Some did not get holidays. Others had work left over. A few were unable to get bus tickets before they sold out.

But, after celebrating Eid in the capital Dhaka, they are now rushing to terminals on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Another group of people – those visiting tourist and entertainment hotspots on their holiday - has also started to leave Dhaka.

A third group left Dhaka due to urgent situations on Tuesday.

Among the passengers setting off from the capital on the day, the majority had destinations in the southern Barishal Division.

Bus authorities in Jatrabari and Sayedabad say that they have sold out of tickets for two long-haul buses on the Barishal-bound route until Thursday.

As such, authorities have closed all but two counters at the Sayedabad and Jatrabari bus terminals. Shamoli Transport has also announced that they are unable to sell any tickets on this route until 11am on Wednesday.

This has prompted other transport companies to mark up fares for buses plying the Barishal and Patuakhali routes.

Usually, the bus fare on the Barisal route is Tk 600. Passengers have alleged that they are being charged Tk 200 and Tk 250 more on the route.

On the Patuakhali route, they say they are being charged up to Tk 600 more.

Transport owners have also charged similarly high fares in the days before Eid. However, the passenger demand for the Cumilla, Noakhali, Feni, and Chandpur routes is typical.

Passengers say that they can avail themselves of the regular fare if they haggle and that those who do not visit multiple counters are being charged more.

The Jatrabari and Sayedabad bus terminals are known as the main hubs for travel to the southern districts of Chattogram, Sylhet, Noakhali, Feni, Lakshmipur, Cumilla, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Khulna, Barishal, Bagerhat, and Patuakhali.

This makes Sayedabad one of the busiest terminals in the capital.

As the month of Ramadan lasted 29 days this year, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in Bangladesh on Mar 31.

Government employees received a nine-day break for the Islamic festival, including Shab-e-Qadr, weekends, the regular Eid holiday and an additional holiday by executive order. The private sector has also set its holiday calendar in line with the government holidays.

The extended break has allowed people to leave Dhaka for their home districts by road, rail and waterways with ease.

Three students - Tanjila Islam, Monirul Islam, and Sohanur Rahman, aged 8-10 - were waiting with their father and uncles at the Sayedabad terminal. They are headed for Cumilla’s Homna.

With the adults gone to collect tickets from the counter, their job is to guard the five to six bags they carry with them. The mothers of the three are inside the counter.

The three said that their aunt's marriage has been finalised on Eid day, and the wedding will be on Wednesday. They were to depart the terminal in the afternoon to attend the wedding and were waiting for their relatives.

The three students said they were too shy to have their photos taken.

Tanjila said, “It’s our aunt’s wedding so we were invited.”

Laughing, Tanjila’s younger brother Monirul said: “We wanted to go home earlier, but they didn’t take us. But now we get double the fun. We celebrated Eid in Dhaka and now we can go home.”

The three were called away by their uncle and two of them picked up a large bag and began to rush towards the bus.

Rafiqul Islam, a private sector worker headed to Noakhali, came to the bus counter at Sayedabad.

“I didn’t get leave this time,” he said. “My shift work had not ended. I have to work on Eid day to wrap up all the work.''

He said, ''We are in the supply business. Our boss did not give some of us leave because we had to stock up for after Eid. I got a short leave, so I will go home.''

Imran Hossain, an expatriate living in Singapore, returned to Bangladesh with a month's leave. He was waiting for his ticket in front of a counter at Jatrabari with a large suitcase.

His younger brother came from Amtoli in Patuakhali to take him home and was haggling for the tickets at the counter.

Imran said, ''We are given holidays according to our shifts. I was supposed to start my break the day before Eid but no one came to the factory, so my leave started a day later. But it is still Eid and I am going home. The joy of Eid is the chance to go home – even if it is a day later.''

Imran's leave was confirmed at 5pm on Tuesday. After collecting his air ticket the previous night, he left for the airport in the morning. From there, he landed at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport in the afternoon.

The expatriate worker, who regularly sends home remittance, says that no one in Singapore dares break the law and he hopes that a similar “discipline” will eventually prevail in Bangladesh.

Jahangir Hossain, 25, has come to Sayedabad with five friends for a trip to the sea in Patuakhali’s Kuakata. A mechanic at a lathe workshop, Jahangir said that as there is no work in Dhaka he wanted to travel a bit.

After all, he said, how much of Dhaka is there to see?

Usually, the bus fare on this route is Tk 1,200-1,400. But the counter is asking for Tk 2,000.

After some haggling, Dulal Hossain, the Jatrabari counter manager for Islam Paribahan, asked for Tk 1,900 per ticket. Still the group of five did not agree to the higher price.

Despite visiting three counters, they didn't get any tickets. The group, who arrived around noon, have decided to take the afternoon or night bus if necessary to save their money.

Jahangir said, "I will take the bus that costs the least. They are asking for higher fares. I’m willing to pay as much as Tk 1,600 taka. If not, I will go at night."

He said, "I always end up celebrating Eid in Dhaka. This time, the holiday is longer, and my friends and I have no work. I feel bored, so I’ll go with them to Patuakhali. I have a friend there too. He will also come to Kuakata."

Mohammad Zubayer, an employee at a Sayedabad counter, said that there will be no vacant seats on any Shyamoli Paribahan bus plying on the Barishal route until 11am on Wednesday.

"All the tickets are booked, we are not issuing any new tickets now. Only those who have booked earlier are going. There are passengers, but the buses cannot be brought back from Barishal."

The buses in Barisal are now waiting at the terminal. Only a handful of passengers come to Dhaka from Barishal during Eid. A bus only sets off for Dhaka when it is full. Normally, the buses leave at a fixed time, but they are not following that schedule now.

Billal Hossain, manager of the Jatrabari counter of Zubair Sakura Paribahan, told bdnews24.com: "There are fewer people coming to Dhaka. The buses will not come if they are empty. The number of buses we have on the Barishal route has been fixed. There are no empty seats on any bus until Thursday afternoon."

If any additional buses from Barishal come to Dhaka, they will sell tickets again.

The same is true of Hanif Paribahan, which also plies the Dhaka-Barisal route. All but two of the bus counters have closed services as there are no free seats until Wednesday.