Well, I initially thought so too. During my first few days in Bangladesh, my mom and I called an Uber every day. Compared to prices in China and the US, it was already considered very cheap, and to be honest, it was very safe too, and often you can get quite comfortable cars.

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But there was actually a problem: traffic.

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Traffic in Dhaka Is INSANE!

Trust me when I say this, but I’ve never seen traffic like in Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka. It’s not like traffic in China, which is usually the worst during rush or peak hours. It seemed like it was like that for an entire day!

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The population density in Dhaka South is almost 40,000 people per square kilometer. That's around 280 people living in an area the size of a soccer field! With limited road space and infrastructure struggling to keep up with the number of vehicles, getting stuck in traffic is almost guaranteed during everyday travels.

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And it’s not just because of the infrastructure, it’s also because of the other modes of transportation on the streets: CNGs (compressed natural gas auto-rickshaws) and rickshaws.

Since road markings aren't always clear or followed, cars, buses, CNGs, and rickshaws maneuver around wherever there is space on the road, one of the causes of traffic. And yes, honking everywhere, every day, every night… but that’s what makes the roads entertaining!

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Rickshaws vs. CNGs vs. Uber

Back to the go-to mode of transportation. If you’re only going around short distances, going by car or Uber IS NOT the way to go, and I had to learn this the hard way.

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At first, I was afraid to go on a rickshaw since I’d never been on one. My Brazilian friend from my Grameen internship actually recommended I try it.

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It was surprisingly a LOT faster, and cheaper than an Uber! The rickshaw drivers do not play around, and are so good at positioning themselves just 1 millimeter away from another car without actually touching it and speeding through the roads. I was definitely nervous at first!

Same with CNGs, but CNGs are motorized, whereas rickshaws have both pedal-powered and electric versions. Although I would say in terms of safety, I personally felt a bit more comfortable in rickshaws since some CNGs have enclosed cages with doors that can be difficult to open from the inside. But CNGs are actually a lot faster in terms of speed compared to a rickshaw.

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Something I Didn't Expect: Chinese Rickshaws Everywhere!

Something actually quite funny was that I noticed so many of the electric rickshaws on the streets (even in Bogura and in the villages) were Chinese branded!

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Most of them said “远迪集团” on the front. I also learned that China exports electric rickshaws, motors, batteries, and other components to Bangladesh, where many of the vehicles are assembled locally.

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It was quite interesting to see how familiar Chinese brands and manufacturing had made their way into something so ordinary in everyday Bangladeshi life.

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And What About the Buses?

Although I didn’t get to ride the buses, there were a lot of old buses on the streets of Dhaka.

Interestingly, my friend told me that some buses were initially imported from the UK to India, and when they got too old, India sold them to Bangladesh. I haven't been able to verify that story, but some of the buses certainly looked VERY old!

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The buses also barely have doors, and there’s always someone standing right on the edge of the doorway trying to get more customers.

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My WORST Traffic Experience: 11 Hours for 200 KM!

And when I say traffic is bad, it really is bad.

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Here is a unique experience: on the way to Bogura, the ride took around 4–5 hours (200 km by the way).

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On the way back… 11 HOURS!!

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We were stuck in one area (without moving an inch) for almost an hour, and the last 400 meters took 40 mins!

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When we were checking back into our hotel and told this to a staff member, they weren’t even surprised. They said during a holiday, it could’ve taken 15 hours!

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Yes, I was late 40% of the time to the internship, but so was everyone else, even the teacher. Yes, getting to the internship often took twice as long as getting back home.

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But this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now I miss riding the rickshaws with my mom, with the fun rickshaw drivers!

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(But make sure they actually know where your destination is, as one time a rickshaw driver pretended he did but ended up driving us in the COMPLETELY OPPOSITE direction for almost 10 mins… By accident though!) :D