Rajshahi inter-district bus services resume after dispute over Darshana route

Bus services on nearly all inter-district routes from Rajshahi stopped without warning, leaving passengers stranded at the terminal. The suspension began after 9 a.m. and excluded only the Chapainawabganj and Naogaon routes.

The disruption followed a dispute between transport owners and workers in Rajshahi and Natore over a newly launched direct service between Rajshahi and Darshana in Chuadanga. Passengers who arrived expecting to travel found the affected routes without buses, while some arranged other transport for urgent journeys.

“We had no idea that the buses would stop running today. Many people are waiting at the terminal, and those who have urgent work are having to arrange alternative transport,” passenger Abdur Razzaque said.

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We had no idea that the buses would stop running today. Many people are waiting at the terminal, and those who have urgent work are having to arrange alternative transport.

The dispute escalated after a Rabbi Paribahan bus operating on the Rajshahi-Darshana route entered Natore without permission, according to Abdul Majid, general secretary of the Natore District Transport Workers’ Union. Owners and workers in Natore sent the bus back to Rajshahi, he said, and six or seven Natore buses were later stopped in Rajshahi.

Services resumed around 1 p.m. after Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Md Yusuf Ali held talks with transport owners and workers’ organisations from both districts. Nazrul Islam Helal, general secretary of the Rajshahi Road Transport Group, confirmed the resumption.

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As a result, the owners and workers in Natore sent it back to Rajshahi. Later, six or seven buses from Natore were stopped in Rajshahi. This led to the problem on the Natore-Rajshahi route.