Launches see drastic fall in Eid ticket sales   

Launch owners of Dhaka to different southern routes are upset with the advance Eid ticket sales, as homebound people flock train stations and bus counters.

Just a couple of days before Eid-ul-Azha on 10 July, launch owners said the river traffic is even lower than what they expected as people have shunned the riverway thanks to the opening of Padma Bridge in June.

Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, owner of Parabat Launch, said there has been a slight demand for 7 July.

"Tickets of some cabins have been sold on the following dates. But, most of the cabins still remain unsold.

"This time we started selling Eid tickets a little earlier. But even then, there is not much response," said Shahidul.

There are no advance tickets for the journey on launch decks. The owner said he hopefully would get full passengers on deck when the garments go on Eid holidays.

Prince Awlad, joint convener of Bangladesh Inland Water Passenger Carrier Association, said a launch on Dhaka-Barisal route usually has 200-250 cabins.

"So far, 30-40 cabins have been booked on an average. Family cabins are high in demand. Tickets for some double cabins have been sold out too. But demand for single cabins and VIP cabins are very low," he added.

"Even after reducing the fares, we are not getting enough passengers. The turnout is even less than we expected," said Awlad, also the owner of MV Prince Awlad.

In contrast, advance rail and bus tickets for 5-9 July have already been sold out.

Demand for train tickets is so high that it has exceeded the capacity of the railway. People queued up in long lines overnight to secure the ticket as soon as sales began in the morning. But many had to return empty handed.

Railway officials said all the tickets for 5 July to 8 July have already been sold out. Train tickets for 9 July will be sold on Tuesday.    

Most of the bus operators have sold out tickets for 6 July to 8 July. Few tickets of 9 July were left on Monday afternoon.

Mosharraf Hossain, general manager of the country's largest private transport company Hanif Enterprise, said, "We have no tickets left for 6 July to 8 July. Tickets for 9 July are almost over. I heard other bus operators have the same situation."

Joyonto Chowdhury, Gabtoli counter manager of Eagle Paribahan, said, "All our tickets for 7 July to 8 July are sold out. There are a few tickets left for 8 and 9 July. However, it seems that these will get sold out soon."

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) has launched "Eid Special Services" with 60 buses from Monday to ensure a smooth Eid journey. This service will continue till 12 July.

Advance Eid ticket sales from various BRTC depots in Dhaka began on 1 July.