B Mirror Report: A global fuel crisis has arisen as a result of the United States and Israel’s aggressiveness in Iran, which has led to a decrease in oil imports. There has been a delay in the arrival of three ships that were supposed to reach Chattogram in March.

According to officials, the government has chosen to impose fuel rationing in order to control the situation. The new regulations set a daily limit of 2 liters for motorbikes, 10 liters for private vehicles, and 20–25 liters for SUVs, jeeps, and microbuses.

If this situation continues, Eid travel hardships are inevitable. On the Dhaka–Cox’s Bazar route, a round trip requires 350 liters of diesel. Previously, to avoid wasting time refueling on the way, buses would fill their tanks with 400 liters at once.

However, since the fuel shortage began, it is no longer possible to obtain more than 100 liters at a time. With this limited amount, buses cannot reach Cox’s Bazar without stopping to refuel along the way, causing delays and inconvenience.

For diesel-powered pickups and local buses, the limit is 70–80 liters, while long-distance buses, trucks, covered vans, and container vehicles are restricted to 200–220 liters.

Saiful Alam, Secretary General of the Road Transport Owners Association, told Media that rationing has caused congestion at fuel pumps. Many motorcycle and small vehicle owners are crowding stations out of fear that fuel will not be available later. As a result, buses are also facing long queues. Officials said they have spoken with the government, and the Minister has assured that the problem will be resolved by Sunday.

Mustafa Azad Chowdhury, a transport owner on the Dhaka-Rangpur route, said that passenger numbers are low during Ramadan, so buses have not yet needed to be canceled or trips suspended. However, he added that after March 16, higher demand could create more pressure, making the situation unpredictable.

Long-distance buses purchase diesel from specific filling stations. Currently, there are long queues at Gabtoli stations, causing delays in refueling. During Ramadan, buses typically complete one round trip in 24 hours, but during Eid, they will make two trips. If fuel is not supplied on time, schedules cannot be maintained, leading to inconvenience for passengers.

Although the government reduced diesel, petrol, and octane supply by 25 percent to control scarcity, market supply has reportedly fallen nearly 45 percent, according to fuel pump owners and distributors. Many pumps have been closed due to empty stock. To manage the situation, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has ordered depots to remain open on Friday and Saturday.

Despite reduced supply, fuel sales have increased, as many people are hoarding in anticipation of future shortages. According to BPC, average daily diesel sales from March to June last year were 12,292 tons, while in the first seven days of this month, daily diesel sales averaged 17,899 tons, 47 percent above normal demand.

Buses and trucks run on diesel, which is imported, while jeeps, private cars, microbuses, and motorcycles run on octane and petrol, produced domestically. However, demand and sales have also created shortages for these fuels. According to BPC, octane sales have increased nearly 12 percent from 1,217 tons per day last March to 1,594 tons this month, while petrol sales rose about 25 percent, from 1,427 tons per day to 1,779 tons.

Transport owners said that the rush for fuel has worsened the problem. Mahbubur Rahman, a bus owner, said that it used to take 10 minutes to fill a tank, but now it takes two to three hours. During Eid, it will take even longer, reducing passenger service and causing significant inconvenience.

Last Saturday, a United Transport bus from Maskanda Bus Stand in Mymensingh could not obtain fuel despite visiting three stations, two of which had long queues and one lacked diesel entirely.

Saiful Alam, one of the United Transport owners, said the company operates 70 buses and purchases diesel from contracted filling stations. Due to shortages and long queues, buses now have to stop along highways to refuel, causing delays. During Eid, maintaining schedules will be impossible, and traffic congestion around fuel stations will worsen the situation.

Several owners added that most buses buy fuel from predetermined stations for accounting transparency. Drivers and helpers have no involvement. But due to shortages, fuel is bought from nearby stations, complicating accounting and causing losses from fuel theft.

Meanwhile, on Friday, long queues were also seen at stations in Asadgate, Bijoy Sarani, Poribag, and Matsya Bhaban Mor, though the crowd was smaller than before.

Transport Minister Robiul Alam visited Kamalapur Station to inspect Eid-travel arrangements and assured that there will be no fuel shortage, and prices will not increase. He confirmed that sufficient fuel for public transport will be available freely from March 15.

Regarding private vehicles, he said that rationing measures will be reconsidered after March 15, noting that some restrictions will remain as the country is still dealing with the ongoing fuel shortage.