An owner's 34 boats, only 10–12 hired a day as bridges take the passengers
A boatman who manages an owner's 34 boats at Sadarghat says only 10–12 are hired a day even at the height of the monsoon, as bridges have cut river crossings.
Most of the boats that cross the Buriganga at Sadarghat in Dhaka belong to owners, and boatmen run them on daily contracts. A 2023 Samakal report features a boatman who has rowed for more than two decades and who at the same time looks after an owner's 34 boats. In his words, there are now more boats at the ghat than boatmen; 10–12 boats work in a day, and even fewer on Fridays and Saturdays. In other words, two-thirds of the boats kept for hire lie idle. The report gives the reason: since the Babubazar and Postogola bridges were built, fewer people travel by boat. With the drought of passengers, many boatmen are taking even Tk 5 for a fare of Tk 10 per person. A boatman from Patuakhali said he earns Tk 600 a day on average, of which about Tk 250 goes on the boat owner and food. Repair work has also fallen; a craftsman who has repaired boats for 27 years said he works for a daily wage of Tk 700, and now there is hardly any work. However, boats that take tourists around the Buriganga on hourly contracts earn somewhat more.
Lessons
- 1.Where a bridge is coming up beside a crossing, think about how long demand will last before buying boats to rent out.
- 2.When ferry demand falls, look for other uses such as hourly tourist rides, which the report says earn a little more.
We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
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