Fulbaria terminal relocation leaves passengers in limbo

Passengers travelling to Bangladesh's southern districts are enduring confusion and hardship after the government began relocating the historic Fulbaria Inter-District Bus Terminal in Gulistan to Ikuria in Keraniganj, leaving many to board buses from makeshift pickup points outside the terminal before the new facility is ready.

Since Friday, long-distance buses have stopped entering the Fulbaria terminal as part of a move aimed at easing chronic traffic congestion in the capital. The abrupt change has disrupted travel, particularly for elderly, sick and female passengers, who are now required to walk to designated boarding locations after purchasing tickets.

A visit to the terminal on Saturday found the once-bustling transport hub largely deserted, with its main gate mostly closed and no long-distance buses inside. Ticket counters for operators serving southern routes remain open, but passengers are escorted outside before boarding buses stationed at different locations.

Transport workers were seen using loudspeakers to gather passengers before leading them on foot to waiting coaches. Many travellers carrying luggage struggled to reach the pickup points, while relatives helped elderly passengers navigate the congested roads around Gulistan.

One ill passenger, after buying a ticket at Fulbaria, was escorted to the Ahad Police Box before boarding a shuttle bus that travelled via the Hanif Flyover to Dolaipar, where the scheduled coach was waiting.

Passengers said the new arrangement had made travel unnecessarily difficult. They noted that they had previously boarded buses directly from the terminal but now faced additional walking, delays and uncertainty.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) terminal, which traditionally served buses bound for the greater Faridpur and Barishal regions, now stands almost empty.

The relocation is part of the Dhaka South City Corporation's plan to reduce congestion in the Gulistan area by shifting inter-district bus operations to a new terminal at Baghoir-Tegoria in Ikuria under Hasnabad Union of Keraniganj. Officials expect the facility to become operational within a month after inspections and final preparations.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association Additional Secretary General A S M Ahmed Khokon said operators were complying with route permit regulations.

"Currently, no buses are entering Fulbaria because their route permits are for Sayedabad. Buses operating on southern and eastern routes are now stopping at Sayedabad, while police are preventing buses from stopping in the Babubazar area. We expect operations to shift to the new terminal in Ikuria within a month," he said.