Dhaka’s Gabtali inter-district bus terminal was unusually less busy on Friday, despite Eid-ul-Fitr being just a few days away.
Along with train and launch routes, there is always an overflowing crowd of holidaymakers at Dhaka’s Gabtoli bus terminal every Eid.
Authorities predicted a tremendous amount of pressure this time, given that buses are fully operational across the country after two years, but that was not the case.
Most of the people who were leaving the capital on Friday morning had purchased tickets in advance, and on spot ticket sales were few.
Counter managers were also seen spending lazy hours as they could not manage enough passengers for their buses, say media reports.
Several of them said that many of their buses left the capital with empty seats, which is unimaginable compared to other years during Eid, according to a report by Bangla Tribune.
“There is no scheduling problem with our buses. Buses are arriving in Dhaka on time, as there is no traffic jam at the ferry terminals,” Mohammad Mainul, counter master of Sakura Paribahan, told bdnews24.com.
However, he said that the pressure may increase from Saturday.
Picture shows home-goers at Gabtali bus terminal in Dhaka Friday, April 29, 2022 Bangla TribuneA passenger at Gabtoli terminal, Sohail, who had purchased a ticket for himself in advance said he was shocked to see the empty counters. “I just hope there is no traffic on the highways.”
Another passenger, Qayyum, said that he had seen more people on the terminals when public transport was operating on a limited scale in the last two years. “This time everything is normal but I don’t understand why there is no pressure.”
However, many passengers have complained that the bus counters were charging extra money for tickets.
After repeated complaints from the passengers, the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection had fined bus companies at the Gabtoli terminal on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Kamalapur Railway Station was teeming with people on Friday, the third day of Eid trips home with advance train tickets.
Every train was packed to the brim with vacationers, with thousands of standing passengers, and many of them were travelling without a ticket.
On the other hand, traffic movement Dhaka-Chittagong Highway and Dhaka-Tangail Highway was moving slowly in the morning, with no gridlocks.
