Fuel rationing introduced by the government to curb panic buying has pushed thousands of ride-sharing motorbike riders in the country into uncertainty over their livelihoods.
The restrictions were imposed amid fears of a possible fuel shortage following the widening conflict in the Middle East.
Under the rationing rules, motorcycles are allowed to buy no more than two litres of fuel at a time. Riders say this is far from enough to operate throughout the day.
Many are forced to return repeatedly to filling stations after their fuel runs out, spending hours in long queues. As a result, they are completing far fewer trips, cutting daily earnings and making it difficult to support their families.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States and retaliatory strikes by Tehran against several locations in the region. The developments have raised concerns over potential disruptions to global energy supplies, prompting anxiety among consumers.
Long lines of vehicles have been forming outside petrol stations across the country since Thursday. A large share of those waiting are motorcyclists who rely on ride-sharing platforms as their main source of income.
Although the authorities insist that the country is not facing an immediate fuel shortage, public concern has led to widespread panic buying.
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku said on Saturday that Bangladesh has sufficient fuel reserves and that two fuel-carrying vessels are scheduled to arrive at the country’s ports on Monday.
Despite these assurances, demand at petrol stations has surged in many parts of the country, as motorists rush to secure fuel amid fears of possible supply disruptions.
In Dhaka, sudden surges of vehicles have been reported at filling stations in areas including Bijoy Sarani, Tejgaon, Motijheel and Shahbagh. Similar scenes have been observed in the port city of Chattogram as well as in districts including Cumilla, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal, Gaibandha and Natore.
In several places, stations have temporarily halted sales after running out of fuel.
Observers say Bangladesh imports about 95 per cent of its fuel from abroad, leaving the country highly exposed to volatility in international energy markets. As a result, any instability in global supply or prices tends to ripple quickly into the domestic market.
Ride-sharing riders suffer
The ride sharing sector has expanded rapidly over the past decade as app-based services became a major source of income for many urban workers.
Unofficial estimates suggest that about 150,000 vehicles are currently engaged in ride-sharing across the country, the majority of them motorcycles.
Data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) show that by around 2025 there were nearly 12.74 lakh registered motorcycles in Dhaka alone. A significant portion of these are believed to operate in ride-sharing services.
As a result, the sector now supports the livelihoods of a vast number of people directly or indirectly, making any disruption in fuel supply particularly sensitive for the urban economy.
Twenty-six-year-old Russell Hossain has been earning his living through ride-sharing on a motorbike for the past four years. He says the recent fuel restrictions have sharply affected his income.
“With this amount of fuel it is impossible to keep riding throughout the day,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh. “I am forced to reduce the number of trips.”
He says the impact on earnings has been immediate. Where he once made about Tk3,000 a day on average, his income has now dropped to around Tk1,500.
Another rider, Ismail, described a similar experience. “Before, I used to earn about Tk2,000 a day from ride-sharing,” he said. “Now many days I cannot even make Tk1,000.”
To curb panic buying, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) introduced limits on fuel sales on Friday. Under the directive, each motorcycle is allowed to buy no more than two litres of petrol or octane per day.
Standing in a queue at Meghna Petrol Station opposite Hotel InterContinental in Shahbagh, 34-year-old Abed Ali said the restriction has made it difficult to operate normally.
“With two litres of fuel you cannot go very far,” he said. “Before, I could ride from one end of the city to the other all day. Now I have to plan every trip carefully.”
Another rider waiting near Farmgate echoed the concern.
“I cannot take longer rides anymore,” said Hashem. “Two litres allow at most about 60 kilometres of travel. With that fuel, how many trips can I do, and how will I even get home after finishing work?”
Muhammad Abdullah Al Maruf, joint general secretary and press secretary of the ride-sharing drivers’ group Bachao Ride Pariseba Oikya Parishad, said the situation has been worsened by inconsistent implementation of the rules.
“Although the government set limits on fuel purchases, many pump owners are applying the rules in different ways,” he told TIMES. “The lack of coordination is increasing pressure on riders.”
Fuel shortages reported in Chattogram
Drivers in Chattogram are being turned away from several petrol stations after supplies ran out, adding to concerns over fuel availability.
Visits to a number of filling stations across the port city on Saturday afternoon found entrances blocked with makeshift barricades, with staff informing motorists that no fuel was available.
At the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) fuel station in the Dampara area, the entrance had been sealed off with long bamboo poles after 3pm. Drivers arriving with vehicles were seen turning back after discovering the station had stopped selling fuel.
Inside the station, several large buses, motorcycles and private cars were waiting, but none were being served.
Station officials said their fuel stocks had been exhausted for the day.
“We received government instructions regarding fuel supply, but our existing stock has already run out,” a station official said, advising that any further queries be directed to the Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner.
“If fresh supplies arrive on Sunday, sales will resume,” he added.
A similar situation was observed at the S H Khan Sons CNG refuelling station in the same Dampara area.
An employee there said a fuel tanker from Meghna Group was expected to reach the station after 2pm on Sunday, after which supplies might resume.
News of shortages has triggered anxiety among motorists, pump officials said, with many drivers attempting to buy and store extra fuel in advance.
