The highways in Barisal division have become unsafe due to movement of thousands of unauthorised three-wheelers, most of which are locally improvised, slow-moving, and a major contributor to accidents, according to bus and car drivers.

These illegal vehicles mainly run on gas, electricity, and diesel, and transport both passengers and goods. Surrounding Eid, their presence increased on the highways, heightening the risks.

According to bus owners, Dhaka-Barisal, Barisal-Khulna, Barisal-Kuakata (Patuakhali) and Barisal-Patharghata (Barguna) highways are the worst sufferers.

These vehicles run under different names: easy bikes (rechargeable battery-run three-wheelers), CNG-run auto-rickshaws, diesel-run Mahindra (a three-wheeler imported from India), Nasiman (a locally made three-wheeler using diesel water pump as engine), Tempo (a diesel-run three-wheeler), and four-wheel Leguna.

Around 18,000 to 20,000 easy bikes, 6,000 Nasimans, 3,000 to 3,500 Mahindras, 2,500 CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 1,000 Legunas, and 1,000 Tempos ply the highways in six districts of Barisal, according to the district transport workers' associations.

“Our drivers cannot run buses smoothly on the highway due to these three-wheelers,” said Al-Amin, a bus owner and member of Barisal Bus Sramik Association.

Echoing him, bus driver Bahadur said, “We cannot maintain a consistent speed on the highway because we have to hit the brake frequently. These vehicles move slowly, and their drivers are not trained, so they don't know the rules of driving.”

The three-wheelers are a major cause of accidents during Eid, he said, adding that buses and cars run at a high speed, and these vehicles cannot keep pace with them, forcing buses and cars to overtake continuously and such overtaking leads to accidents.

About 15 percent of all road accidents involve low-speed vehicles, many of them on the country's 3,790km national highways, according to the Accident Research Institute at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).

    There are 70km of national and 1,580km of regional highways under Barisal region, according to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of Barisal.

Because of this risk, the road transport and bridges ministry, in July 2015, banned three-wheelers and slow, unfit vehicles on highways. In January last year, the High Court also banned all improvised three-wheelers on highways.

Both owners and drivers admitted the risks associated with three-wheelers.

Mojibur Rahman, a bus driver on Dhaka-Barisal highway, said, “Sometimes we cannot avoid the clash with these vehicles because of their unskilled drivers.”

Moin Shikder, an easy bike and Mahindra owner of Barisal stand, said, “Three to seven accidents occur every week on Barisal-Khulna highway involving these vehicles.”

Rafique, a 15-year old driver of such a vehicle, said, “I have been driving a Nasiman for two years on different highways though I have no institutional training or driving licence.”

Md Aftab Hossain, president of Barisal Bus Owners Association, said, “We are calling for banning these illegal vehicles on highways for a long time.”

“If the government wants to ensure easy movement, it must keep the unauthorised vehicles away from the highways,” he said, adding that the authorities take some steps during Eid but it is not enough. 

Meanwhile, passengers have grown dependent on the small vehicles for regular commute.

“We have to take the vehicles for their availability. It is not easy to find a bus on the highway. Even if there is any, it remains packed, leaving no room for us to sit,” said Nargis Aktar, an easy bike passenger of Barisal-Khulna highway.

She, however, also acknowledged that it is risky to travel in these vehicles.

Asked about the initiatives, Shafiqul Islam, deputy inspector general of police, Barisal range, said, “We try to keep the illegal vehicles off highways round the year. During Eid, we conduct special drives to stop their movement on the highway.”