Advance ticket sales start with lesser response

For the holidaymakers of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, long-haul road transport companies have started selling advance tickets while advance train tickets will be available online from today.

On the first day of selling bus tickets, pressure of ticket seekers at bus counters was low. Bus employees at counters said the crowd will increase within a day or two, but the queues may not be that long as most of the bus companies have started selling tickets online days before making them available at counters.

Some companies, however, will start selling tickets on their convenient date.

Shubhankar Ghosh Rakesh, joint general secretary of Bus-Truck Owners Association and Managing Director (MD) of Shyamoli NR Travels, said the companies have started selling tickets according to their pre-announced schedule. Eid trips will start from June 22 as Eid-ul-Azha is expected to be celebrated on June 29.

“Normally passengers’ demand remains high for the trips two days ahead of Eid and the day before Eid. We have asked the owners and counters not to charge extra fare than the government-fixed rates on any date of Eid journey,” he said.

Though advance ticket sales have started from the counters at Gabtoli, it is yet to start in full swing from Mohakhali and Sayedabad bus terminals.

President of Mohakhali Inter-District Bus Owners Association Abul Kalam said they do not sell advance tickets as buses to comparatively shorter distances are being operated from there. To deal with extra pressure of passengers ahead of Eid, all operators will increase the number of trips. Tickets will be available on the spot before trips.

“However, a couple of North Bengal transports here will start selling tickets from June 15,” he said.

Rakesh said advance bus tickets for Chattogram, Noakhali, Cumilla and Sylhet areas are now available from Sayedabad. However, some companies will sell advance tickets online and just before bus departure, not from the counters as advance tickets.

Shakil Mahmud, a counter man of Shyamoli Paribahan in Kalabagan, said there was a queue of passengers since the morning but not that long. Ticket purchase was relatively smooth on the first day.

Inter-city train tickets available online from today

Bangladesh Railway will start selling advance tickets online for intercity trains from June 14 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Advance tickets will be released online in two shifts. The western zone will sell tickets online from 8 am and the eastern zone will start selling at noon.

Advance tickets for June 24 will be available on June 14 and tickets for June 28 will be available on June 18. Advance sale of return tickets will start on June 22. The tickets for July 2 will be available on that day. Return tickets can be purchased until June 26 while tickets for July 6 will be sold on the last day.

After seat bookings for all trains for the Eid and return journeys are complete, the railway will start selling 25 per cent standing tickets for non-AC compartments only. These tickets will only be available at the counters of the beginning stations on the date of journey.

While making the online purchase, a passenger will be able to avail four tickets of any one train towards the destination and one train to return to Dhaka after Eid.