Dhaka, March 20 -- The initial ease of this year's Eid travel has dissolved into a familiar nightmare: hours-long waits, soaring fares, and overcrowded buses as passengers across Bangladesh endure the worst of the holiday exodus.

From Chandra's gridlocked highways to southern routes slowed by delayed buses, the disconnect between official assurances and reality has never been clearer.

Despite Road Transport Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam's mid-week assurances that "no extra fares are being charged", passengers on the eve of the festival tell a different story.

Muslima Jahan Shetu, a journalist and researcher, shared a harrowing account of her journey from Dhaka to Barishal.

Charged Tk 2,000 for two tickets -- nearly double the standard f...