Like trains, advance bus tickets for Eid-ul-Fitr are also being sold online. As a result, although advance bus ticket sales have started, there is not as much crowd at the bus terminals.
Speaking about selling tickets online, Ramesh Chandra Ghosh, managing director of Shyamoli Paribahan and president of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association, told Prothom Alo that big companies are selling 60 to 70 percent of tickets online. This decision has been taken in view of the difficulty in getting bus tickets from the counters. Apart from this, it is also saving the passengers from the additional cost of traveling to the bus terminals for tickets.
Agencies working on passengers' rights have taken this initiative positively. Road Safety Foundation Executive Director Saidur Rahman said that this initiative has significantly reduced the hassle of passengers for tickets. However, those who do not have a device or do not have the necessary technical knowledge to buy tickets online should not be deprived of the service. He said that the authorities should keep a strict vigil to stop digital black marketing.
*This report appeared on the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu
