Road transport services, including buses and minibuses, resumed today morning after being suspended more than two months back to slow the transmission of Covid-19 in the country.
However, the number of passengers leaving Dhaka is thin, said a top bus operator.
Mosharref Hossain, general manager of Hanif Paribahan, said they began their operations across the country today.
They are charging 60 percent more than the previous bus fare as per the government circular, he added. "The presence of passengers is very thin," he said.
There are a good number of passengers but they have to run at 50 percent capacity following government directives.
"We have given masks and gloves to our drivers and staffers. We are seeking cooperation from passengers to maintain health safety guidelines," he said.
On the first day after the shutdown, many buses are seen plying the roads in Dhaka city in the morning, our staff correspondent reports.
Bus operators hoped that the number of passengers would increase gradually.
When asked about the health guidelines, Jaki Hossain, conductor of Bihongo Paribahan, said that they cleaned the bus last night with Savlon and bleaching powder.
They are also seen spraying Savlon and bleaching powder on passengers' hands before allowing them to enter the bus, which runs between Pallabi and Sadarghat.
About the bus fare, he said, "We are taking Tk 48 from Pallabi to Sadarghat instead of Tk 30 as per the new fare chart."
He added that they are also allowing half the number of passengers inside the bus to maintain physical distance.
Another bus conductor, Abdul Qadir of Safety Paribahan, running between Pallabi and Ajimpur, said they will spray bleaching powder on every seat when the bus reaches its last destination.
The government suspended operations of all public transport from March 26. On Thursday, the government announced to resume operations of public transport on a limited scale, maintaining all health safety guidelines.
