‘For seven days, my life was confined within the bus counter’

Stranded in a Dhaka bus counter for seven days, Md Sohan Sheikh, a bus driver from Bogura, spent harrowing days and nights as uncertainty loomed during the recent violence around the quota reform protests and the subsequent curfew enforced by the government.

Sharing his experience with this correspondent, Sohan compared his days inside the counter to "prison life". 

"For seven days, my life was confined within the bus counter. The combination of protests and a strict curfew led to a severe food shortage. Proper meals were unavailable, there was no water, and bathing was impossible. The frequent power outages made it more difficult. 

"Just as I sat down to eat at a hotel, I had to run from there [as violence started]; it was a terrifying experience overall. Most of the time, I survived on bread and bananas," he recounted.

Sohan, who drove to Dhaka on 18 July from Bogura and got stuck during the protests, finally returned on Wednesday (24 July) after the curfew was relaxed.

He said many other drivers and helpers faced similar hardships, but they endured the situation as they saw no other alternatives.

Those who were outside Dhaka also suffered, as they too had no income during this period, he added.

While talking to transport workers, this correspondent learnt that drivers of large coaches typically earn between Tk1,200 and Tk1,800 per trip and for smaller buses, they get Tk800 to Tk1,000. Conductors and helpers make about Tk600 per trip. 

Without vehicles plying on the road, these earnings completely vanish, leaving many in financial distress. At the same time, those who operated privately owned vehicles also faced significant difficulties as well.

Md Ershad Ali, an auto-rickshaw driver from Shajahanpur, Bogura, said he could not operate his vehicle for seven days due to the risks of vandalism. He said as there was no income, he missed his NGO loan payments and struggled to feed his two children.

According to sources in various motor workers' unions in the north of the country, there are around 22,000 transport workers in Bogura district alone and the combined number from Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions is nearly 200,000. 

They said the halt in transportation due to the recent quota reform protests and enforced curfews severely impacted the livelihoods of many of these workers. 

Transport businesses face huge losses

Talking to TBS, transport business owners also highlighted the economic hardships of transport workers and said that when vehicles are off the roads, everyone is adversely affected.

Md Mahbub Hasan, one of the owners Dhaka-bound Manik Express from Bogura, said about 250 workers working for the company had no income during the period of transportation shutdown.

"Our drivers and helpers work on trip-based contracts, so we didn't have to pay them during the shutdown," he said, adding that they passed a very tough time as transportation was shut down suddenly.

Talking about his losses, he said, "Each of our buses generated about Tk30,000 daily, and as this income was not there for the seven days, we incurred a loss of around Tk50 lakh."

He added, "To recover, we need safe passage for transport operations. This will ensure the well-being of the workers and help us get back on track."

According to stakeholders, the transport sector in northern Bangladesh, which includes key hubs like Bogura, Naogaon, and Joypurhat, suffered losses of nearly Tk100 crore from 18 July to 24 July. 

Sources among the district's motor owners group said typically around 700 long-distance buses operate daily from Bogura. In addition to buses, numerous trucks, covered vans, and other vehicles also run regularly. 

However, due to the student protests and the curfew, all these vehicles had to be partially or completely halted over the past seven days, they said.

A source in the Roads and Highways Department said the Bangabandhu Bridge serves as a crucial route for 16 districts in the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions, as well as six districts in the southwestern region, including the Khulna division. Approximately 28,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.

Aminul Islam Suman, a member of the Naogaon District Bus Owners' Association, said that due to the lack of income, the owners could not pay their workers. 

"Our company, SP Travels, operates 12 buses on the Naogaon to Dhaka and Chittagong routes. However, we were unable to run these buses for seven days due to the protests and curfew, resulting in daily losses of at least Tk1 lakh," he said.

He further said, "When our buses are operational, fuel pumps, hotels, and counter managers all earn money." 

Officials of SR Group, which operates 100 buses, including 60 AC and 40 non-AC, also reported substantial losses. They said their AC bus typically generates Tk60,000 daily while travelling between Dhaka and Bogura, while a non-AC bus earns Tk30,000. 

Hanif Travels, operating 32 buses on the Bogura-Dhaka route, faced daily losses of Tk950,000 due to the halt, according to its officials.
Aminul Islam, general secretary of the North Bengal Transport Owners' Association, said that over 50,000 vehicles typically operate in northern Bangladesh. "The seven-day transport shutdown has resulted in losses of at least Tk100 crore across 16 districts in the transport sector with at least two lakh workers left unemployed."

Explaining the current situation, Aminul Islam said, vehicles are only able to operate during the daytime due to the ongoing night time curfew. 

"The good news is that no untoward incidents have occurred since vehicles resumed operations on the roads," he said. 
However, he added that not all vehicles are back in service yet. "Full transport operations will gradually resume as the situation continues to normalise."