The capital’s worsening gas crisis has spilled far beyond household kitchens, crippling public transport across Dhaka as hundreds of CNG-powered buses, auto-rickshaws and ride-sharing vehicles disappear from the streets after spending hours in fuel queues, leaving commuters stranded and driving transport costs sharply higher.
Across major corridors -- including Rampura, Badda, Airport Road, Banasree and Mirpur --passengers waited for hours on Monday as fewer buses operated, CNG auto-rickshaws demanded inflated fares and app-based rides became increasingly difficult to secure.
The shortage has also pushed thousands of commuters towards the metro rail, leading to unusually crowded stations and trains.
Transport operators say the crisis stems from prolonged waits at CNG filling stations, where drivers often spend four to five hours only to receive enough gas for a handful of trips before returning to the queue.
The impact is particularly severe on routes where a large share of buses operate on compressed natural gas.
On the Banasree-Demra corridor, employees of Ashim, Alif, Swadhin and Asmani Paribahan said many gas-powered buses now complete only a single morning trip after spending the entire night waiting at filling stations.
Abbas Uddin, a line checker for Ashim Paribahan, said nearly half of the company’s more than 50 buses run on CNG, but many now remain idle because pumps cannot supply sufficient pressure.
Drivers and transport workers from several operators said buses that once made multiple daily trips now struggle to complete even one before running short of fuel, reducing fleet availability across the city.
Similar shortages were reported on the Gulshan-Mirpur, Gabtoli, Shahbag, Airport and Sayedabad routes, where commuters were forced to endure long queues and overcrowded buses as available services fell sharply.
The crisis has hit CNG auto-rickshaw drivers even harder.
Drivers say waiting five hours at a filling station often yields only Tk100 to Tk150 worth of gas --barely enough for a few trips.
Yet vehicle owners continue to demand daily garage deposits of around Tk1,200 regardless of whether drivers can earn enough to cover the cost.
“If the vehicle cannot run, how will we pay the owner or feed our families?” asked drivers Kawsar Ahmed and Rahim while waiting at a filling station.
Transport workers estimate that more than half of the capital’s 10,000 to 12,000 registered CNG auto-rickshaws are now operating irregularly or remain off the road because of the fuel shortage.
With fewer vehicles available, fares have surged.
Commuters said trips that normally cost Tk200 from Banasree to Gulshan-1 are now being quoted at around Tk300, while fares to the airport have risen from about Tk350 to as much as Tk500.
Ride-sharing services have also been severely affected.
Many Uber and Pathao vehicles depend on CNG, leaving drivers trapped between spending hours in fuel queues or switching to expensive petrol that significantly erodes their earnings.
Uber driver Suman Mia said contract drivers must generate enough monthly income to cover vehicle rental payments, making petrol operation financially unsustainable.
“After waiting four or five hours, we receive only enough gas for a few trips before returning to the pump again,” he said.
As buses, auto-rickshaws and ride-sharing vehicles become increasingly scarce, thousands of commuters have shifted to the metro rail.
Passengers at Mirpur stations said journeys that once began with a short CNG or app-based ride now often involve long waits before eventually boarding crowded metro trains.
Residents Yusuf Ahmed and Ujjwal said ride-sharing cars that previously arrived within minutes are now difficult to find, while many CNG drivers refuse to travel without demanding excessive fares.
Commuters say the crisis is no longer simply about fuel shortages but about the growing inability to move around the city.
With no clear indication of when gas supplies will normalize, many expressed frustration over the absence of a clear government roadmap while calling for urgent, coordinated measures to restore fuel supply and ease mounting disruption to everyday life.