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have been waiting for 45 minutes. I will stop using this service after today.”

Another passenger, Emon Mia, a student of Tejgaon Government College, said delays have worsened since Eid.

“Earlier, taxis left with five to six passengers. Now we wait around 30 minutes. Even if there are 12 passengers on board, the operators keep waiting,” he said.

Authorities said boats are being operated under a rationing system to cope with the fuel shortage. Each vehicle requires about 30 litres of diesel daily, but currently receives only 15 to 20 litres, allowing operations for about four hours. At least five litres must be kept in reserve to avoid engine damage.

During peak hours between 7:00am and 11:30am, 11 boats operate. Services are then reduced to three or four boats around noon to conserve fuel, before increasing again after 4:00pm.

Talking to this correspondent, FDC ghat ticket checker Saiful Islam said the company is not receiving adequate fuel service. Four taxis are out of service, while the rest operate mainly during peak hours.

Water Taxi JT In-Charge Md Joynal Abedin said daily fuel demand is around 350 to 400 litres, but only about 200 litres are currently supplied.

“Trips are being reduced due to the shortage. If the situation continues, we may have to shut down, as we don’t have a reserve,” he said.

“We have reduced trips between 11:30am and 4:00pm to save fuel. However, we are trying to maintain services during morning and afternoon peak hours,” he added.

Operated by Karim Group under Rajuk supervision, the service has been running for 10 years.

Morshedul Alam, manager (operations) of the company, said they have never faced such a crisis before.

“We are operating only about 50 percent of services, prioritising peak hours to minimise inconveniences for officegoers. During other times, boats are not operated unless there are 15 to 25 passengers.”

“Unlike before, we can no longer run boats with fewer passengers. We have no fuel reserve. Whatever diesel we receive is used the same day,” he added.

He added that sales have dropped by around 50 percent, making it difficult to sustain operations. “If diesel supply stops completely, we will have no option but to shut down.”

Launched on December 16, 2016, under the Hatirjheel Integrated Development Project, the service became popular among commuters from Badda, Rampura, and Gulshan as an alternative to congested roads.