Health Hazards of Public Transport and Ride-Sharing Drivers in Dhaka City
Dhaka, the bustling capital of Bangladesh, is a city of movement. Every day, millions of people depend on buses, rickshaws, CNG auto-rickshaws, and ride-sharing services to get to work, school, and beyond. At the heart of this movement are the drivers—the invisible engines of urban mobility. Yet, behind the honking horns and endless traffic jams lies a silent crisis: the deteriorating health of Dhaka’s transport workers. Dhaka is currently ranked as the second most polluted city in the world. Air filled with toxic particles, smog from vehicles, and industrial emissions make every breath a health risk. For drivers, who spend more than 12 hours daily on the road, this exposure is far greater than for the average citizen. Long-term inhalation of polluted air has been linked to chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and even premature death. Add the stress of navigating Dhaka’s chaotic traffic, and the burden on their health multiplies. According to t...