Gabtoli bus terminal sees sharp drop in passengers on Eid day

Gabtoli Inter-District Bus Terminal in the capital saw a significantly lower passenger turnout on Eid-ul-Adha day than on regular days.

Since morning, most counters remained vacant, and workers and counter staff were seen idle. In some areas, workers were calling out in search of passengers.

A field visit from 10am to 11:30am today (28 May) showed that although some buses on northern and southern routes were operating, passenger numbers remained low.

Many buses left with empty seats even after their scheduled time. 

Workers were heard calling destinations such as Meherpur and Barishal, while others searched for passengers to Magura, Jessore and Kumarkhali.

Abdul Momin, a passenger travelling to Thakurgaon with his wife and two children, said, “I am heading home after purchasing tickets from Hanif Paribahan at Kanchpur to Gabtoli. The fare per seat was Tk 1,100.”

Abdul Momin said, “My wife and I both work in the garment sector. We got leave from the 26th and the office will reopen on the 6th. Travelling earlier would have meant traffic jams and rain-related difficulties, so we are travelling today. Now there is no traffic jam. The bus will depart at 11:15am.”

Joyanta Roy, in charge of ticket sales at an Eagle Paribahan counter, said, “There are fewer passengers on Eid day. Until 11:30am, only three tickets for Khulna-bound buses were sold. The bus will depart at 12pm. We may get some passengers from the Savar counter.”

Mohammad Ibrahim, a passenger travelling to Kushtia with his family on Rabea Paribahan, said he purchased tickets at Tk600 per seat. However, the bus departure was delayed due to a shortage of passengers.

He said, “The counter informed us the bus will leave once all seats are filled. We are waiting for seats to fill. We got leave yesterday, so we are travelling on Eid day.”

Meanwhile, around 11am, passengers who had sold cattle and were travelling to Kushtia were seen waiting at the Shyamoli Paribahan counter. They said they purchased tickets at Tk900 per seat, but the bus was waiting to be fully occupied before departure.

Transport operators said most people left Dhaka in the two days before Eid, which is why passenger pressure was low on Eid day.