Three-wheeler protest halts Barisal bus services again
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Bus services have been suspended between Barisal and various upazilas again on Tuesday due to a dispute between bus and three-wheeler drivers.
Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Shakhawat Hossain confirmed the matter.
Three-wheeler drivers launched their protest in the Rahmatpur bus stand area on the Barisal-Dhaka highway in Babuganj. Passengers are facing suffering as buses on internal routes are being turned back.
Protesting drivers complained that they face obstacles almost every time they stop their three-wheelers to pick up passengers at the Nathullabad bus terminal. They alleged that leaders and activists of the Bus Owners Association and the Workers Union hit their vehicles with sticks.
The conflict between three-wheeler drivers and bus owners and workers over passenger transport is a long-standing issue. The protesters warned that their movement will continue until a solution is achieved.
On Monday, bus owners and workers held a protest demanding a ban on three-wheelers on the highway. Due to their protest blocking the highway, bus communications between Barisal and the rest of the country were suspended starting from midday.
Mosharraf Hossain, president of the Barisal Bus Owners Association, said they operate buses by regularly paying revenue to the government. However, a passenger shortage is being created due to the operation of illegal vehicles and three-wheelers on the highway, which also increases the risk of accidents.
He added that they had held multiple meetings with the Three-Wheeler Owners Association and workers, and written decisions had been made regarding their movement. However, the drivers are not abiding by those decisions. Often, they position themselves near the bus counters to carry passengers to different upazilas. Even when restricted, they were rude to the counter staff.
Earlier, allegations of vandalizing several buses surfaced following a dispute with three-wheeler drivers in the Shimultala area of the Barisal-Banaripara route. In protest of this and to demand the prohibition of three-wheelers on the highway, bus owners and workers had initiated a movement.
