Fuel queues ease in Dhaka, Ctg as supply improves after price hike
At around 8:30am in the Asad Gate area, the number of motorcycles in queue at a filling station was nearly half of what it had been two days earlier.
Queues at fuel stations in both Dhaka and Chattogram have started to ease following a recent hike in fuel prices and an increase in supply, bringing some relief to commuters after days of long wait.
Waiting times at filling stations in the capital have declined, with fewer vehicles lining up compared to previous days. The government raised the prices of all types of fuel oil by Tk15 to Tk20 per litre on Saturday (18 April), citing volatility in the global fuel market linked to the ongoing Iran war.
On-site visits today (21 April) showed that pressure at filling stations has eased, with fewer vehicles lining up and shorter waiting times.
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At around 8:30am in the Asad Gate area, the number of motorcycles in queue at a filling station was nearly half of what it had been two days earlier. Similar conditions were observed at pumps in Kallyanpur, Technical and Gabtoli areas.
Hamidul Islam, a motorcyclist at Mohona Filling Station in the Technical area, said waiting time has reduced significantly.
"Previously, one had to wait nearly 10 hours to get fuel; now it is available within two hours. The crowd has decreased slightly after the price hike," he said.
Pump operators said diesel supply is currently stable, although there is still a shortage of octane. They said sales resumed around noon today after fresh supplies arrived in the morning.
At Mohona Filling Station, between 11:30am and 12:30pm, around 30 motorcycles and about 30 cars were seen waiting for fuel.
Car driver Firoz Bhuiyan said, "It is taking much less time now compared to before. I have been in the queue for about 40 minutes, and there are about 30 cars ahead."
Stakeholders said demand has eased following the price increase, reducing pressure at fuel stations. However, they noted that the situation may not fully stabilise until supply returns to normal.
A similar trend was observed in Chattogram, where increased supply has begun easing congestion at filling stations. Visits to several city stations today (21 April) found that while queues of cars and motorcycles persisted, they were moving more smoothly than before.
Customers said the situation has improved after days of fuel shortages. "Earlier, I visited several pumps but could not get a full tank. Today, I managed to get fuel after waiting around 20 minutes," said biker Riadul Islam at a filling station in the Goni Bakery area.
FK Badal, a supervisor at QC Trading filling station, said supply has significantly increased. "Previously, we received one-and-a-half to two truckloads of fuel. Now it has risen to three to four truckloads," he told TBS.
He added that the station received one truck of octane and three of diesel on Tuesday, and is now supplying fuel without limits to private cars and motorcycles. Diesel is also being provided in limited quantities for generators and emergency use in hospitals and clinics.
Stakeholders believe that if the increased supply continues, the situation in the fuel market could return to normal within the next few days.
