In 1988, Dalim was 13 years old. He worked as an assistant on the bus route from the National Zoo to Sadarghat. Back then, making seven to eight trips a day wasn’t that big of a deal. This was because there wasn’t much “plastic” on the road!

“Plastic” here refers to special cars; The expression “Ostadh (bus driver), plastic on the left” was not used at that time. As far as Dalim can remember, the phrase began to be used in the mid-90s.

Over time, the number of cars and people on Dhaka roads continued to increase. This has led to more frequent arguments both inside and outside the buses. Drivers and assistants had to be more careful than before. They had to watch out for rickshaws in front, private cars on the left, pickup trucks behind and traffic wardens at intersections.

Passengers inside the bus also experienced anxiety. Every few minutes an argument would break out, either about the fare or the speed of the bus. But the biggest problem was with “plastic”. Since these private cars belonged to the rich and had more influence, even the slightest touch could mean trouble.

For this reason, traffic sergeants do not hesitate to file a lawsuit. That’s when the driver taught the assistants to say “Ostadh, lousy plastic” (Bus driver, there’s plastic on the left) if a private car was nearby. This was a brief statement that gave the driver more time to be careful.

“Piliar” consisting of eleven excursions

Around 2000, Dalim became a bus driver or “Ostadh”. The roads were not as crowded as today. Dalim was so skilled at driving that in the official records of the Shikor Bus Service, they recorded him as a “Pillar (player) of eleven journeys”, that is, a driver who could complete eleven journeys in one day.

Now, Dalim, a driver of Mirpur Super Link, laments that he cannot drive freely anymore. It takes half an hour to cover half a kilometer. As you head from the end of Manik Mia Avenue past the corner of Aarong towards Road 27, there are a number of signals to cross. For every four buses you can expect to see 20 private vehicles and 60 to 70 motorcycles.

“The bus inevitably hits something or someone when we try to turn, and meanwhile the passengers start complaining about the slow pace and say, ‘Hey driver, gari chalao naki rikshaw?’ (Hey, are you driving a bus or a rickshaw?) I get the feeling that bus staff are under constant pressure, both inside and outside the vehicle.”

Dalim is discouraged by the lack of judgment from the rich. A family of three has four cars. One of the cars is used by the gentleman for his office, the other by the lady for visits to the beauty salon, and the third takes the child to school. The fourth car is kept as an extra for errands like shopping. Four cars for just three people takes up so much space on the road!

Even the slightest scratch can ruin the daily earnings of the driver or vehicle owner. The driver needs to set off with five important documents in hand: fitness certificate, tax token, driver’s license, etc. They are usually given 20 days to resolve a case.

Numbers and crazy

I met Dalim at Mirpur-12 bus stand. There is a small office with a desk and three stools where the bus lines are kept. Dalim rests day by day. Other conductors and drivers come here on their days off. Even on rest days, they spend most of their time around the buses.

On days when Dalim is driving, he wakes up at 4.30 in the morning. He works behind the wheel from 6:00 in the morning until 23:00 at night. He only has 10 minutes for lunch, and even after his shift is over, he spends another hour or so closing the bus. He settles accounts with the owner and is satisfied when he manages to take home around a few thousand taka.

While I was talking to Dalim, a few more people gathered. Among them was conductor Shobuj. Shobuj said that previously there were three staff on the bus, but due to low earnings, they can now manage with only two staff. There are a lot of buses on the roads, and even more have the same route numbers. As a result, competition between the same number of buses is fierce, especially since they share the same passenger destination.

The number refers to the route number. For example, the road number of Mirpur Super Link is 36, and the tag of the bus from Gulistan to the airport is 132. Buses with the same name also share the same road number. While the bus in front is doing its best to block the bus coming from behind, the bus behind is doing its best to pass the bus in front. The reason for this fierce competition is simple: The first bus to arrive must pick up passengers at the next stop. This competitive hustle and bustle is what assistants and chiefs like Shobuj call “Kapjha”, meaning a mad rush or frenzy.

In search of a “korkora” assistant

Jon joined in mid-conversation. He was probably over 50, had a deep voice and a broad physique. He also spoke some English. Introducing himself, he said, “I drive the Taranga bus on the Muhammadpur route. This is my mentor Dalim. I used to work as an assistant in his bus. In the past, I have great respect from the drivers.”

“Assistants and conductors always tried to follow the driver’s mood and work accordingly. No one approached the steering wheel without the driver’s permission. It is now much more difficult to find a reliable assistant. Sometimes their value is even higher than that of the driver.” “When you have a good assistant, the driver’s job becomes half easier.”

Korkora means skilled and experienced. A bus with a reliable, skilled assistant faces less risk of accidents and revenue increases as more passengers board. When the bus is full (with more than 15 standing passengers), the assistant informs the driver by saying “jomaiya chalan, ostadh” (there are many passengers; the fare has not been collected yet, so drive slowly).

“Poka”- passengers

Jon explained: “In those days, if a rearview mirror broke, it would take about seven days to fix it. So there was more trust in the assistant. Today’s drivers are much sharper. They check the left side every four seconds. They always look at the right side in the side mirror. The real problem now is stress.” The driver has to be alert at all times; there is no room for even the slightest error.”

To save time and facilitate communication between driver and assistant, special words have been invented. For example, “poka” meaning passenger.

This is not meant to belittle or disrespect anyone, it just serves as a time saving term. Saying “poka” takes less time than saying “passenger” and catches the driver’s attention because it is a specific term. So the assistant may say, “Ostadh shamne poka ache, thik moton park koren”, which means: “Ostadh, there is a poka (passenger) ahead. Be careful when parking.”

Runaway, rebellious teenagers often become bus helpers, and many eventually become drivers. They tend to be outspoken and quick-witted, with less complexity in their thinking. According to Jon, all bus staff around the world share similar characteristics; They are independent and outspoken.

“hint” and “double”

I learned two more terms from Jon. One of them is ‘tip’, which refers to small vehicles such as bicycles, rickshaws and pushcarts. The other term is “double”, which refers to special cars that refer to multiple cars, not just one.

Dalim said, “You cannot find people as patient as bus workers. We deal with at least 500 people every day. Not everyone is rude, but most people think that bus workers are not good people and that we are at a lower level. They believe that we cannot be kept under control without insulting them. Some even use physical force.” That’s why other bus workers are not our only friends.”

When asked which age group of passengers is more polite, Dalim said, “People over the age of 40 are generally more respectful. Working people may be a little nervous during working hours, but other than that, they do not mistreat the bus staff and they definitely do not mistreat the bus staff.” Never argue about wages.”

“Is there a television here?”

Recently, even middle-class people have started using buses as passengers. According to Jon, a lot of “standard” people ride buses now. Working women as well as college and university students are common passengers. When a beautiful girl gets on the bus, a crowd usually gathers around her and it becomes difficult to get away from them. This situation is quite frustrating for conductor Shobuj.

The crowd generally consists of middle-aged people rather than young people. In such cases, Shobuj and others sarcastically say: “Ki bhai? Eikhane ki television? Pichone toh onek jayga” (What is this? Is there a television here? There is enough space in the back.)

According to Jon, the behavior of bus staff has changed recently. For example, while they once used the term “Women nambe” (women will come down to the ground), now they say “Mohila nambe” (Women will come down to the ground). Jon finds the word “ladies” a bit provocative, and perhaps others feel the same. Over time, it slowly evolved into “Mohila,” a slightly more respectful-sounding term.

As we continued talking, time passed by and a light drizzle began, raindrops pattering softly. I asked one last question: “When do you feel happy?”

Seven or eight voices answered in unison. All their answers boil down to one thing: They’re happy to finally park the bus and get it done in a day. They will be very happy if they can return home with around a thousand taka in their pockets.