Bus fares soar amid Eid rush in Savar

Garment factories across the industrial belts of Savar and Ashulia closed ahead of Eid, triggering a massive rush of home-bound passengers along highways in Savar since around this noon.

Despite a sufficient number of public transport vehicles on the roads, passengers alleged severe exploitation, saying bus fares surged three to four times the usual rates, forcing Eid travellers to pay excessively to reach home.

During a visit around noon, this correspondent found passengers and transport workers openly bargaining over fares that were three to four times higher than usual at the Bypail stand on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway.

The Daily Star found evidence of passengers being charged between Tk 1,200 and Tk 1,600 to travel to Rangpur from the Bypail bus stand.

After noticing media presence, several passengers complained about excessive fare demands by a bus crew.

Rezia Begum, a garment worker waiting near Bypail Bridge with her husband and children to travel to Natore, said she had gone home a week ago when her father passed away. "At that time, I paid Tk 200. Now they are asking for Tk 1,200."

She said, "It is understandable if fares double during Eid, but charging three to four times more is unfair. I have been waiting here for three hours, but everyone is asking for the same fare.”

Shariful Islam, another garment worker waiting for three hours to travel to Rangpur, said the regular fare is usually Tk 400 to Tk 500 depending on the vehicle.

“Now they are asking for Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,600. Fares become three to four times higher during Eid. What can I do? I have to go home,” he said.

Md Anis, a contractor for Natore-bound transport, said the normal fare is Tk 350 to Tk 400, but passengers are now being charged Tk 800 to Tk 1,000.

He added that even though Eid trips are full on the outbound journey, vehicles return empty, which increases fares.

Liton Mia, a contractor for Rangpur-bound transport, also said they are charging Tk 1,200 per seat for the same reason.

Contacted, Savar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Saiful Islam said that mobile teams are working on the roads and complaints about excessive fares are being investigated immediately.

Since noon, the Nabinagar-Chandra highway has seen heavy passenger pressure and severe congestion.

Traffic was reported from Nabinagar to Bypail, DEPZ to Sreepur, and Kabirpur to Chandra in Gazipur, with long tailbacks visible on several stretches.

Tanjila Akhter, a passenger stuck near Bypail Bridge while travelling to Pabna, said it took her nearly two hours to reach there from Savar Cantonment due to slow-moving traffic.

Shahjahan Mia, officer-in-charge (OC) of Savar Highway Police Station, said vehicle pressure has increased since noon, causing slow and intermittent movement.

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