Residents of Patuakhali have been suffering since Friday morning as Bus and Minibus Owners' Association announced a strike demanding to ban three-wheelers on highways.
Bus services on the Dhaka-Kuakata highway, including internal routes, have been suspended, reports Bangla Tribune.
Locals say buses are lined up at the terminals and ticket counters are also closed.
The Patuakhali Bus and Minibus Owners' Association claimed that various types of three-wheelers including battery-powered CNG and easybikes are running on the Patuakhali-Kuakata regional highway.
The drivers of these vehicles are not trained, hence road crashes took place almost everyday, they said.
Meanwhile, the BNP leaders claim that this strike has been called to disrupt the party's divisional rally in Barisal on Saturday.
A passenger, Akbar Hossain, at Patuakhali bus stand said: “I came from Galachipa to Patuakhali bus stand by a motorcycle. My sick father is in Barisal hospital. But I didn't get any bus even after waiting for two hours.”
Another passenger named Minara Begum said that the buses are not leaving and she is forced to take an easybike by paying extra fare.
In this regard, Patuakhali district BNP Member Secretary Snehangshu Sarkar also said that the bus strike was called to thwart the mass meeting of BNP in Barisal.
However, ignoring all obstacles, leaders and workers reached Barisal by various means including by water way, he added.
Riaz Uddin Mridha, president of Patuakhali district Bus and Minibus Owners' Association said that three-wheelers are prohibited from using the highway, according to the High Court.
“We haven't declared the strike only for two days, we'll continue it till these vehicles are banned on the highways.”
