Bus services from 3 northern districts to Dhaka remain suspended for fourth consecutive day
Transport owners halted operations from Thursday (25 September) night without prior notice, citing demands to increase workers’ salaries
Bus services from Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi and Natore to Dhaka remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day today (28 September).
Transport owners halted operations on Thursday night (25 September) without prior notice, citing demands to increase workers' salaries.
Bazlur Rahman Ratan, central vice-president of the Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association and owner of Desh Travels, said, "We have already increased drivers' and workers' wages. But they still pick up extra passengers on the road, ignoring owners' orders. This puts passengers' safety at risk and damages bus companies' reputation."
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He said some "VIP" buses run on Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar routes. "Passenger safety is our priority. If robbery or other incidents happen due to unauthorised boarding, the owners are held responsible and passengers' lives are at risk. That is why we stopped operations."
He added that owners have informed the relevant government authorities of their position.
Workers say that a salary increase had been agreed upon in a meeting on 23 September and was supposed to take effect on Friday (26 September). They criticised owners for stopping buses without implementing the new salaries or giving prior notice.
Meanwhile, passengers are facing serious trouble due to the suspension, especially before the Durga Puja holidays when buses and trains are already crowded.
However, Ekota Transport is operating normally on the Rajshahi-Dhaka route as usual.
