Election holiday rush: Bus shortage, high fares add to commuters’ woes

As the long-awaited 13th national parliamentary election and referendum are set to be held on Thursday, February 12, people have begun leaving Dhaka and other major cities to return to their home districts to cast their votes during the declared holiday.

From Tuesday morning, February 10, a huge rush of homebound passengers was seen at Gabtoli, Sayedabad and Mohakhali bus terminals, as well as at Kamalapur Railway Station.

Homebound voters grapple with bus shortage, ticket crisis
Heavy congestion has formed on surrounding roads, including the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway, due to the surge in travellers. Taking advantage of the bus shortage, transport workers have been accused of charging several times the normal fare.

Passengers have faced severe hardship after being stuck in traffic for hours and paying excessive fares. Travellers also alleged that both inter-district and intra-district buses are abandoning regular routes to make multiple trips in search of extra income, worsening the situation for general passengers.

Many commuters complained of overcharging. Passengers said that while the usual fare from Dhaka to Mymensingh is Tk 200 to Tk 250, bus operators are now charging between Tk 500 and Tk 600. Unable to find buses, many passengers are boarding trucks, where fares range from Tk 300 to Tk 400 per person.

Although Wednesday is the last working day before the holiday, people have already started travelling home with their families. Transport operators said the rush is expected to increase further from Wednesday, adding that advance ticket sales are already nearly sold out.

Surge of passengers at railway stations
Due to the unavailability of bus tickets, many passengers have opted for train travel. However, with seats in short supply, many are travelling standing or even on the roofs of trains.

From early morning, Kamalapur Railway Station saw an overwhelming crowd of passengers, putting railway authorities under severe pressure.

A railway official said that despite repeated announcements asking passengers not to travel on train roofs, many are ignoring the warnings. Due to excessive pressure, it is not possible to force everyone to get down. Many passengers are taking risks citing the need to vote, and authorities are showing leniency on humanitarian grounds.

Railway sources said passenger pressure has increased several times compared to normal days due to the election. Although efforts are being made to add extra coaches and introduce special measures, managing the crowd has become difficult.

Earlier, the government declared general and special holidays for the 13th national parliamentary election. According to the gazette notification, February 11 and 12, Wednesday and Thursday, have been declared public holidays by executive order for all government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices and institutions, as well as educational institutions, in line with a decision of the advisory council.