Bangladesh
Mahakhali Bus Terminus Mohakhali Bus Terminal: No passenger pressure, hassle-free Eid journey
Dhaka, April 22: Akram Hossain went to Mohakhali bus terminal with four family members from Mirpur-10 at 12 noon. Standing in line for five minutes, bought a ticket to Mymensingh in Ena Paribahan. The bus left the terminal after 10 minutes. Before leaving, Akram Hossain said that he has been working in Dhaka for the past 15 years. I go home every year on Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azhar holidays. In past years the terminal was crowded with people. Had to suffer to get tickets. But this year the terminal is empty. There is no passenger pressure. The Eid journey is also going smoothly.
He said, I went to Mohakhali bus terminal from Mirpur in 20 minutes; I bought the ticket in five minutes. I will get on the bus now. I saw on Google that Mymensingh road is empty. There is no traffic jam anywhere. I have never had such a relaxing Eid trip in the past.
Even other Eid travelers at the terminal have reported relief from the journey. They hope that the Eid trip will be as comfortable and happy in the future as well.
However, transport owners and workers say that their business is not going well during the Eid journey as there are fewer passengers at the terminal. Apart from Ena Paribahan, it takes half an hour to an hour for each bus to fill up with passengers. This will reduce their profit this Eid.
Around 11 o'clock on this day, it can be seen on the ground that there is not much crowd of Eid pilgrims at Mohakhali bus terminal. The number of passengers at the terminal is the same as during normal hours. There is no shout of Eid. Many transport workers are spending idle time. However, 15-20 passengers were seen standing in line to buy tickets at the Mymensingh counter in Ena Paribahan alone. Most of the other counters were empty.
Masud Hossain, a ticket seller of Ena Paribahan, said that their counters are crowded as usual. Passengers are coming to the counter, buying tickets and leaving for their destination. No one has any complaints.
About 100 buses are operated by Barman Special Service on the Dhaka-Tangail route. At 12 noon, not a single passenger was seen standing in front of the counter of this bus for 15 minutes. The supervisor of the special service. Haider Ali said that the passenger pressure at the counter was good for the last four to five days. This morning also saw some pressure. But as the day progresses, the number of passengers also decreases. Now a bus takes more than an hour to sell 70 percent of the seats.
