Dhaka Bureau: Since the launch of the Metrorail, the scene of the Uttara-Motijheel route in the capital has changed. The traffic on this road has reduced a lot. Almost half of the buses and minibuses have been closed due to a lack of passengers. Many transport owners are trying to sell vehicles. And transport workers are looking for ways to change careers. Apart from this, due to the introduction of metro rail and elevated expressways, the street image of several areas of the capital has changed. And because of this, the app-based ride-sharing company Uber-Pathao is not getting passengers.
When the Uttara to Agargaon section of the Metrorail was inaugurated on December 28, 2022, the passenger crisis began in the buses of the Mirpur-Motijheel route. Despite the loss of passengers due to metro rail, the bus crisis did not come to the fore. However, after the inauguration of the Motijheel section from Agargaon on November 4, 2023, Metrorail started full passenger service. While Metrorail is struggling to cope with the rush of passengers, buses are suffering from a passenger shortage.
Those concerned said that the modern public transport Metrorail is overcrowded with passengers, and there is a shortage of passengers in the unexpired buses and minibuses running right below it. The passengers of the Uttara-Mirpur-Motijheel route have turned away from fitness and an undisciplined minibus after getting the opportunity of modern transportation. Travelers on this route were held hostage for ages.
In the name of seating service, torture of waybills, or 15 rupees increase in fuel price, 27 percent increase in fare. There is even a record of getting them off the bus if they protest. But all those transports are now looking for passengers. As the income of this assistant of alternative transport from Mirpur 12 to Jatrabari has dropped to less than half, he has decided to return to the village. Two passengers boarded his car during peak hour, despite calling for half an hour.
Transport workers say that the number of passengers that used to be there is almost non-existent now. The daily salary that was available before Metrorail has come down to half. Now, how can I run the family? The owners are also frustrated by the frustration of the workers. Some people have stopped their cars in Yatrikhara, and some are looking for ways to sell buses. Manager of Alternative Transport, Sabuj, said that due to a lack of passengers, he could not take 45 buses to 25 roads. The situation is almost the same for other transports on this route. The transport leaders say that they are not getting an alternative way to save the landlords.
Mahbubur Rahman, organizing secretary of the Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association, said that bus owners are somehow surviving now. Maybe many will not be able to sustain this car business. If the government does not take any new initiative in this regard, then the owners will have to leave this business. Experts are asking transport owners to learn from this reality. They suggest managing the business with the mindset of not holding the people hostage but following the rules.
Passengers are not getting Uber-Pathao: Speaking to riders at several points in the capital, it is known that the use of the app-based ride-sharing service Uber-Pathao has started to decline since the launch of the Metrorail and the elevated expressway. Even with the launch of Metrorail and elevated expressway, many roads including Airport, Uttara, Mirpur, Kaowran Bazar, Shahbagh, Farmgate, Agargaon, Motijheel have no passengers. Again, even if you get a ride or two while going to these roads, there are no passengers when you arrive.
Kushtiar Mizanur Rahman has been sharing Uber-Pathway rides in the capital for four years. When asked about the current experience of ride sharing, he said that there has never been such a decline in ride sharing. Passengers are not available in many areas as the Metrorail and elevated expressways are operational. Again, even if I get one or two rides on these roads, I am not going because there are no passengers available at the time of arrival. The income is now almost half of what it was before. Meanwhile, when talking to the passengers in the areas covered by Metrorail and Elevated Expressway, they also said, ‘We can reach the destination very easily in the areas covered by Metrorail and Elevated Expressway in the capital. Time is being maintained, rent is low, there is a smart communication system, the risk of accidents is low, and there is no suffering.
