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Despite a promising start in the morning, the passenger count dwindled as the afternoon progressed, he said.

“At 2:30pm, one of our buses left with only 3 passengers while the previous one had seven. We (ticket counter staffers) don’t have a fixed monthly income either; we earn 5-10 percent from each ticket sale. This means we earn less with fewer passengers and nothing at all if buses don’t operate.”

Representatives of Shayamoli Paribahan and other buses echoed him.

Aminul Islam, another counter staff member, said, “Transport owners receive financial assistance from the government during crisis situations, but we don’t get a single penny.”

“Transport owners don’t even care about our existence when buses remain off roads. I am unable to send money to my village where my family resides, my rent in Dhaka are also pending.”

Contacted, Md Alamgir Hossain, the owner of some buses at SB Link Paribahan, said he, too, is struggling to make ends meet. “After trying for hours, I managed to borrow Tk 300 from a friend to go to the kitchen market today (yesterday).”

“I already have bank loans to pay... how am I going to help my staff?”

Seeking anonymity, an owner of 26 buses at Gabtoli, said, “Even if I operate a 36-seat AC bus with 28 passengers, I incur a loss. Now, I am forced to run buses with only 18-20 passengers in the last few days.”