"The fare is Tk 13 for a trip to Gulshan-2, which is very high. As there is no bus service on this route, we are forced to take human hauliers. Introduction of a bus service would definitely reduce our transport expenses," a regular passenger said.

The passengers said they are helpless as the operators of the human hauliers enjoy a monopoly on this route. "There is no scope for bargaining on the fare," said Shahana Alam, who regularly travels to Gulshan from Mohammadpur.

"We have to take Vespa Super [human hauliers] as we don't have much options. If I hire a CNG autorickshaw, it will cost at least Tk 70 which I can't afford," she said.

"I have been waiting here for 30 minutes but no human haulier is seen. Now I have to hire a CNG autorickshaw which is too costly. Moreover, I will be late in the office," said Ziaur Rahman, an officer of IFIC Bank's Gulshan branch.

Scores of people wait in long queues at the Mohammadpur bus stand during office hours every morning. The Gulshan-bound commuters suffer a lot due to inadequate number of human hauliers on this route.

"I am compelled to wait for this service because there is no alternative," said Emdadul Islam who regularly commutes to Gulshan-2. He alleged that most of the time the human haulier service does not maintain timetable.

"They are usually 15 to 20 minutes late and the ticket sellers cannot provide us with information about the timings," said Humayun Kabir, a regular commuter.

Ramzan, a ticket seller of Vespa Super, however blamed it on traffic congestion.

Leaders of Dhaka Human Haulier Owners' Cooperative Association said the service was launched in 2002 with 28 vehicles. These 13-seated vehicles are not sufficient for hundreds of Mohammadpur residents who have to go to Gulshan every day.

"After 1:00pm the number of the passengers comes down sharply and so we have to wait for a long time to get 13 passengers. If the number of vehicles is increased, we will lose our business further," said a driver of Vespa Super.

Tarikul Islam Shimul, general secretary of Dhaka Human Haulier Owners' Cooperative Association, said there is no scope to increase the number of human hauliers because the government does not give permission for new ones.

"We are interested to introduce bus service on this route but there is limited space for parking. So we cannot start the service," he added.

It is alleged that the human haulier operators prevent others from introducing bus service on the route.