Since the Padma Bridge opened, the number of vehicles around Dhaka’s Sayedabad Bus Terminal has increased, and more passengers are traveling. On average, over 2,000 long-distance buses use the Sayedabad Inter-District Bus Terminal daily to travel across the country. About 5,000 buses operate around the terminal daily, carrying over 100,000 passengers.

Surprisingly, the real hustle isn’t inside the terminal — it’s outside, along the roads. Inside, it’s almost silent. That’s because most bus companies pick up and drop off passengers on the surrounding streets instead of using the actual terminal. Even the ticket counters are mostly set up outside. As a result, the roads in front of and around the terminal are always jam-packed with traffic.

According to on-site observations and various sources, the terminal was built to handle around 800 buses. However, several times that number of buses operate through this area every day. Since there isn’t enough space inside the terminal, many buses park along the nearby roads to pick up and drop off passengers. Some companies keep their buses parked inside the terminal, but very few passengers board from there. Over time, the terminal has turned into a parking lot for buses.

It’s a different story on the streets — buses stop to pick up passengers, vehicles turn around, and small, unregulated transports like rickshaws and CNGs weave through the traffic. This chaotic mix creates constant traffic jams in the Sayedabad area, day and night. Passengers often sit in their vehicles for hours, facing endless delays and growing frustration.

According to Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), there are 115 ticket counters inside the terminal, but at least 170 more are outside, along the roads. Big bus companies even have multiple counters outside the terminal. For short-distance routes, many buses don’t have fixed counters; they just sell tickets from temporary tables and chairs set up by the roadside.

Transport infrastructure experts say the authorities responsible for running the terminal aren’t doing their jobs properly. This lack of oversight has allowed bus operators to set up ticket counters wherever possible. And as a result, the roads are overcrowded, chaotic, and frustrating for everyone.

Dr. Shamsul Haque, a professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told Bonik Barta, “The Sayedabad Terminal isn’t being managed the way it should be. That’s why transport owners have taken matters into their own hands — setting up ticket counters outside the terminal however they like. They treat the terminal like a garage, not a proper passenger facility. If those in charge had done their job, the terminal would have been passenger-friendly. But it’s not. There’s no clear plan from the government, and no one seems to be watching. Nowhere else do you see more ticket counters outside a terminal than inside. And you don’t see passengers boarding buses in the middle of the road like this.”

On Sunday, during an on-the-ground visit, the situation was clear:

From TT Para to the area under the Mayor Hanif Flyover near Sayedabad Terminal, countless buses were parked along the road, picking up passengers. The nearby roadside counters were packed with people. Even beyond the counters, groups of passengers were waiting to board.

Many negotiated their fares directly with transport workers and got on the buses without formal tickets. Near the Jonopath intersection, short-distance buses were lined up by the roadside, and workers called out to attract passengers. As soon as they spotted someone, they’d rush to bring them onto their bus, often competing to fill up faster.

Inside the main terminal, however, it was a completely different scene.

The ground floor, where a passenger waiting area was built, was empty. Not a single traveler could be seen there. A few terminal staff were sitting on benches, chatting among themselves.

They said passengers rarely come inside, and it’s always this quiet. Some ticket counters inside the terminal have even shut down.

A bus supervisor heading to Bagerhat said, “Hardly anyone buys tickets inside the terminal now. Very few passengers come here. Most people get their tickets from the roadside counters. And most buses also pick up their passengers straight from the street.”

Interestingly, the terminal workers said these roadside ticket counters were set up with approval from government agencies.

They claimed that no one would open a counter outside without government permission. Since buses have to park in front of the counters to board passengers, the city corporation and the police have even created designated ‘bus bays’ along the road. That’s where the buses now stop.

According to the Bus Owners’ Association, around 5,000 buses operate daily from the Sayedabad Bus Terminal and the surrounding roads. Out of these, at least 2,000 are long-distance buses. Interestingly, most of these buses don’t even use the terminal itself — they pick up and drop off passengers on nearby roads. Altogether, over 100,000 passengers travel through the Sayedabad area by bus daily.

However, Golam Sarwar, the supervisor of the Sayedabad Terminal and a Dhaka South City Corporation official, disagrees. He claims the number is lower — about 3,000 buses run daily from the terminal and nearby city bus counters. In his view, the total daily passenger count is closer to 60,000.

When asked about all the roadside ticket counters, Golam Sarwar told Bonik Barta,

“There’s enough space in the terminal. We can park up to 2,000 buses here. It’s true that more buses than we can officially handle are operating, which puts some pressure on the roads. But we’re trying to manage it so it doesn’t become major traffic congestion. That’s why we’ve created special bus bays on the road for long-distance buses to pick up and drop off passengers. The rule is they can’t park there for more than half an hour.”

To ease the traffic problem, the government has shifted the intercity bus terminal from Sayedabad to Kanchpur in Narayanganj. Construction of the new terminal has already started.

But not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Urban planners and transport experts say that poor management by government departments led to the current chaos at Sayedabad in the first place. Moving the terminal to Kanchpur might just make things worse, adding more hassle for passengers instead of solving the problem.

On this issue, Dr. Shamsul Haque said, “The idea of moving the terminal is immature. Those who made this decision clearly don’t understand how public transport works. Do they think just building a bigger terminal will fix the problem? A terminal is supposed to be a rolling system — buses should arrive, drop off passengers, pick up new ones, and leave within minutes. But here in our country, buses are parked inside the terminal for long periods. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. Buses should be parked in depots, not in terminals.”

“I’ve seen a terminal in Birmingham where only five buses can stop at a time. And yet, there’s no chaos there. So why can’t we manage our massive terminal properly? The solution is clear — remove the unskilled and unprofessional people from the system and hand things over to those who understand public transport,” he added.

After the fall of the Awami League government, the transport owners’ association at Sayedabad also saw a shift in leadership. Now, the association is run by a group led by Tabarak Hossain Bhuiyan, the owner of Tisha Paribahan.

He blames pro-Awami League transport owners for the terminal’s current condition: "They worked for their own interests, not for the passengers. That’s why the terminal became so neglected. Poor management drove the ticket counters out onto the streets. And to be honest, the terminal simply doesn’t have enough space. That’s why we’re forced to keep so many buses outside.”