Rajshahi University (RU) transport services are currently failing to meet the needs of students, it has been alleged. According to the university's public relations administrator, Professor Dr. Md. Akhtar Hossain Mazumder, although there are about 26,000 students on campus, students are suffering every day due to the limited number of buses and minibuses for transportation.
As a result, students' dissatisfaction with the university bus service has reached its peak. Every morning and afternoon, students have to wait for a long time to catch the city-bound bus from the university. Even when the bus arrives, it is overcrowded, as a result of which many are forced to use rented auto-rickshaws or other means of transport, unable to board the bus.
Timetables are not followed, waiting is unbearably long Students complain that although the timetable set by the transport department is on paper, it is not followed in reality. Many times the buses arrive late at the specified stop, and then suddenly one or more buses arrive at the same time. On the one hand, this creates a rush of passengers, on the other hand, many do not get the bus even after waiting for a long time.
According to university sources, the buses used to run on eight trips. Now, there are only four trips on 14 routes. Along with this, the number of buses has also decreased. The number of buses has now decreased from 39 to 30. However, due to the lack of required number of drivers, only 26 buses are running on these roads. As a result, students are suffering and time is also being wasted.
It was found that the number of trips of the university's 39 buses was eight, compared to 14 routes in 2016. Later, three trips were reduced to five trips, and 27 buses were seen running. Later, one more trip was reduced to four. Meanwhile, due to the government's announcement of fuel savings, two more trips were reduced to two. In the face of student anger, the buses were running four trips after two trips were increased.
According to information received from the transport section, the first bus leaves the university bus stand at 8:05 am. The second route leaves at 1:10 pm, the third route at 4:15 pm, and the fourth route leaves at 5 pm. On the other hand, the buses that leave the campus at 8:05 am leave the campus from the specified stops at 8:35 am. The buses that leave at 1:10 pm leave at 1:30 pm and the buses that leave at 4:15 pm leave for the campus at 4:35 pm.
Currently, there are 30 buses operating in the university, with 26 drivers. Due to the shortage of drivers, these buses are running on 14 routes. Students complain that classes of various departments start at around 10 am. Many students come to the university by campus bus at 8:35 am. They have to wait for an hour and a half on the campus to start their classes. Many students also have classes at 11 am. A student pays 360 taka for transportation in a year. But students complain that they are not getting proper transportation facilities.
Students said that due to the lack of sufficient buses during morning and afternoon classes and exams, there is a huge crowd inside the buses. Many students have to travel standing or risking the bus doors. This also poses a risk of accidents.
Lamia Biswas, a third-year student of the Applied Mathematics department of the University, said, "This situation of traveling in mixed buses is very difficult for girls. The buses are already very crowded, which makes it difficult to get on and off the bus."
Towfique Alahe Shishir, a second year student of the marketing department of the University, said, "We pay regular transportation fees every month. But even then we do not get regular bus facilities. When we have to go out, we often have to spend 50 to 100 taka, which is an additional burden for us."
He also said that not only waiting for the bus, but also the financial pressure on students is increasing due to the lack of sufficient buses. Many are forced to use alternative transportation like CNG, auto-rickshaws or rideshares as they are not getting buses on time. This is increasing their monthly expenses several times.
Shakil Hossain Shovan, a second-year student of the Department of Geology and Mining, said that every university student, before or after admission or during admission, stands in front of the blue and white buses of his own campus and records himself on camera. But as the day goes by, he realizes how gray this colorful life is. Rajshahi University buses make only four trips throughout the day.
But it is seen that most of those who have a break in the afternoon leave at about 1:30. The result is missing the bus. Now, if those who missed the bus want to return by bus, they will have to wait until 4 or 5. As a result, students are helpless and have to face local transport. Still, I have seen many students who are waiting for the bus like a chatak bird. The question is, how much does the administration value the time of a university student??
On the other hand, in Jahangirnagar University, where the total number of students is comparatively less than half of ours, the number of bus trips is 7-8 a day. The maximum limit of that is Dhaka. Yet they continue to provide services to their students on the crowded streets of Dhaka.
Sumaiya Akhter Sonia, a third-year student of the Arabic department of the University, said, "This situation is even more difficult for girls. The buses are so crowded that getting on and off is difficult. I have almost fallen off several times due to being pushed on the bus."
Students say that this problem has been going on for a long time. But no effective action has been taken by the authorities. The cost of commuting in the city is increasing. Students are not only waiting for buses, but also the financial pressure of students is increasing due to the lack of sufficient buses. Many are using CNG, auto-rickshaws or rideshares because they are not getting buses, which is increasing the monthly expenses several times.
The students demand a quick solution. They feel that the university authorities should take quick action. If sufficient buses are arranged, the timetable is fixed and the services are consistent with the fees are ensured, the suffering of students will be reduced.
In this regard, the Administrator of the Transport section, Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak Sarkar said, the university's transport service is running at a loss. The number of buses is very small. It is not possible to cover the entire transport service with these buses. Moreover, the number of drivers and bus contactors is also very small. Currently, 86 posts are vacant in the transport service. No recruitment is being done. If the university administration does not appoint them, I have nothing to do. Where there are supposed to be 29 bus contactors, there are only 8.
He also said, I know all about the suffering of the students. We are trying to buy new buses. The problem is due to the small number of buses. I hope that if the university administration provides enough buses and drivers, we will be able to solve this problem quickly.
When asked about the overall issue, the university's Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib said, "We have taken the initiative in this matter. We understand that students are suffering a lot. We have an allocation for bus service in this year's budget. The Transport Department has already started working on it. Hopefully, we will be able to resolve this issue within this year."
When asked whether the shift for leaving the campus for buses can be increased to avoid the suffering of students, he said, "Actually, increasing the shift depends on the number of buses. We have thoughts about increasing the shift. Hopefully, we will be able to increase the shift if we can increase the number of buses."
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