A public transport crisis has engulfed the capital as both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League's three affiliates, Jubo League, Swachhasebak League, and Chhatra League, are organizing mass rallies.
The BNP's mass meeting is scheduled at Naya Paltan, while the peace rally by Jubo League, Swachhasebak League, and Chhatra League will take place at Baitul Mukarram's south gate on Friday afternoon.
On the eve of the rallies, despite reports of buses being in service, the situation on the ground is entirely different. Commuters are facing prolonged waiting times for public transport, leading many to resort to walking or taking rickshaws at inflated fares due to the lack of buses.
Numerous bus owners have suspended their services due to concerns about potential violence during the rallies. As a result, buses from different routes can be seen parked on the sides of roads in various parts of the capital.
The people concerned believed that traffic jams have been seen in the past due to the search of law and order forces at the entrance of Dhaka around the rally. A similar situation may arise around Friday's rally. Earlier, even on the day of the Awami League-BNP counter rally in the capital, public transport was relatively low.
Ahsan, a passenger trying to reach Sadarghat from Rampura, expressed his frustration at not finding any vehicles to Sadarghat since the morning. CNG autorickshaws are also scarce and charging Tk600 fare for trips, he complained.
City dwellers were seen waiting for public transport at the intersections of various busy roads of the capital.
City dwellers were seen waiting for public transport at the intersections of various busy roads of the capital including Shanirakhra, Kajla, Jatrabari, Gulisthan, Press Club, High Court area, Shiksha Bhabhan, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Rampura, Badda, Mirpur, Bishwa Road, Gabtali, Shyamoli, Collegegate, Asadgate, Farmgate, and Kawran Bazar. Although rickshaws, motorcycles, and CNG vehicles were operational, passengers complained about being charged extra fares.
Khandkar Enayet Ullah, the secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, clarified that there were no instructions to halt buses during the rally. He asserted that buses were supposed to operate normally. However, some owners might have withheld their buses due to fear of vandalism.
Ajmal Uddin Ahmed Sabur, president of Dhaka Road Transport Owners' Association, mentioned that vehicles were more or less in operation. Although they encouraged owners to continue operations, some chose to stop their buses, fearing damage or burning. Owners' decisions in this regard are based on the lack of compensation guarantees in such cases, leaving them cautious about the risks involved.