Transport owners have taken buses off the roads in Dhaka as students expanded their campaign for safe roads.
Morning commuters found it difficult to get to work by bus as vehicles were few and far between. Many walked to their destinations after a long wait for transport.
Owners also suspended long-haul bus services on different routes.
As student protests intensified, the government shut schools, colleges and other educational institutions for Thursday for security reasons, reports bdnews24.
Students, mostly from Dhaka schools and colleges, have disrupted traffic since a speeding bus ran over and killed two of their fellows waiting for transport on Jul 29.
MYMENSINGH SUSPENDS SERVICES
Bus owners in Mymensingh have stopped services to Dhaka, citing security reasons.
None of the Dhaka-bound buses left Mymensingh on Thursday, said Bikash Sarker, a spokesman for the District Motorised Transport Owners Association.
“The students are vandalising buses indiscriminately leading the owners to suffer huge losses. We have stopped services for security reasons,” he said.
The buses may resume operations in the afternoon if the situation returns to normal, said Bikash.
The sudden transport shutdown left hundreds of Dhaka-bound passengers in trouble.
Nurul Haque, a passenger who came to Maskanda Bus Stand in Mymensingh for travelling to Dhaka, was unaware of the shutdown. “Now I have to return home.”