THE hassle that millions undergo to buy tickets for Eid-time journey has not eased despite some measures having been taken. As the advance sales of tickets for trains and buses began on March 14, people started struggling to buy tickets at affordable prices. Although the Bangladesh Railway transitioned to fully online ticket sales in 2023, getting a ticket has remained as difficult as it had been before. When the railway opened its advance ticket sales on March 14, most people could not even log into the railway site while tickets for March 24 were sold in about 30鈥�40 minutes. The same happened the next day when tickets for March 25 were sold. This has been the case since the full transition to online ticket sales. Passengers in the past two years complained that online sales of train tickets were manipulated by some quarters as some people could buy tickets even when the site showed no available were tickets. The online ticket sale has also caused difficulty for people without access to the internet. Low-income people, who mostly rely on trains for Eid-time journey, have been the worst sufferers.
For those seeking bus tickets, the hassle is not less. Bus companies also started selling advance tickets for journeys between March 25 and March 30, both at counters and online. Although bus tickets were available on March 14, passengers complained of being charged Tk 100-200 more than the usual fare. The situation is likely to worsen as Eid draws near as the combined capacity of all modes of transport is about half of what is needed. More than three million people are said to leave Dhaka and the combined capacity of buses, trains and river vessels is slightly more than 1.5 million. As a result, more than one million people would be forced to travel in goods-carrying and other vehicles and on train roofs. Besides the vast number of travellers, traffic congestion, accident risks, ongoing construction works on key points on roads and highways, ferry shortage and a limited number of train seats are said to be the key factors that might increase the sufferings of holidaymakers.
The authorities should, therefore, look into the issues that contribute to the hassle of holidaymakers. The authorities should ensure that tickets sales are not manipulated and buses do not overcharge. The authorities also need to ensure a smooth movement of vehicles, stop construction works that might impede movement during the holidays and urgently repair the roads that will be in operation. The authorities should also take a long-term plan to increase the capacity of roads, railways and waterways.