Intercity Transportation:
By Air
Dhaka is connected by air with several Major cities including Sylhet,
Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Jessore, and Saidpur. The domestic airlines
include: Biman Bangladesh Airlines,
GMG Airlines,
United Airways, and
Best Air.
By Water
As a land of river, Dhaka is well-connected to the southern
districts by the net-like waterways. Several Launches and Steamer boats run
between Dhaka and Chadpur, Barisha, Bhola, Patuakhali, Khulna, Bagerhat,
Sunderbans etc. The river terminal is located at Sadarghat of the old Dhaka
city. Almost every year there are a few launch accidents due to storms, fogs
and overloading during the festival seasons. It is recommended to
avoid water transport during bad weather and festival seasons such as Eid-ul-Fitr
and Eid-ul-Azha.
By Train
Capital Dhaka city is well connected to almost all of the major
cities by train service. The central train station is located at Kamalapur.
Trains become overcrowded and it becomes almost impossible to get tickets
during the festival seasons. So, it is better not to avoid the festival
seasons. Although the train service is relatively cheap but the quality of
service is not up to the mark.
By Bus
Intercity bus service is very good in Bangladesh and many air-conditioned
luxurious buses run from Dhaka to every corner of the country. Bus services
start early in the morning and run every hourly until mid-night. In most of
the cases there are no toilet facilities in the bus but buses provide
stop-over on the way where you can find toilets, shopping facilities and
food/restaurant facilities.
Intra-city Transportation
Bus
There are some good air-conditioned intra-city bus services but most of the
buses do not have air-conditioning. As Dhaka is a dusty city, it is always
recommended to find and ride in air-conditioned buses. At least you would
not be sweating like anything in the hot and humid weather in the extreme
traffic jam of Dhaka.
Rent a Car
There are many car-rental services in Dhaka. It is often safe to ask the
hotel staff whether they provide or arrange any such car rental services.
Taxi - Standard
There are a very few taxis in Dhaka and although they are metered but they
never follow the meter. The passengers need to bargain and fix the fare
before the start of the journey and the drivers often refuses to go to some
destinations, mainly based on the traffic jam.
Taxi - Three-wheeler
These taxis are also known as CNG auto-rickshaw. There are plenty
of these taxis in Dhaka but it is quite difficult to find an empty one
during the rush hours. Same as the standard taxis, these taxis are metered
but they never follow the meter. The passengers need to bargain and fix the
fare before the start of the journey and the drivers often refuses to go to
some destinations, mainly based on the traffic jam.
Rickshaw
Rickshaw is abundant in Dhaka and throughout Bangladesh and the fare is
quite reasonable. You need to bargain and fix the fare beforehand. This
environment-friendly transport is a bit slow and is one of the main
reasons for the immense traffic jam in Dhaka.
Driving Direction, rules and conditions
Unlike the USA and Canada, vehicles in Bangladesh drive on the
left side of the road. You need to have a local or international driving
license or permit to drive in Bangladesh. Road condition is good in some
places and not so good in other places. Expect a lot of traffic jams here
and there, specially in Dhaka.
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