Every morning, they appear like clockwork. Metal bodies shaking, engines coughing and doors tied with rope.
Across many parts of Dhaka, these vehicles, known as leguna, have become a familiar sight. Every day, they rattle through some of Dhaka’s busiest roads. Along Mirpur Road, through Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Dhanmondi and nearby neighbourhoods, commuters depend on them most.
They carry office workers, students, and day labourers packed tightly into fragile frames that often look one bump away from collapse. For thousands, legunas are not a choice. Cheap fares and easy access make them a daily necessity. But behind that convenience lies a terrifying truth. Every ride can feel like a gamble with an accident.
Most legunas are not built for safety. Many are crudely assembled by cutting apart old microbuses and reshaping them into passenger carriers. Basic safety standards are often ignored. Broken seats, missing bumpers, weak brakes, shattered windows, and faulty headlights are common. Doors are often tied with rope.
Even more alarming are the drivers. In many cases, boys barely out of their teens are seen behind the wheel. Some are under 20. Many have no valid license or formal training.
With little training and often no legal license, they speed through packed roads, overtake recklessly, and chase passengers for one more fare. On crowded routes across Mohammadpur and Shyamoli, that danger feels immediate.
“Whenever I get on one, I feel nervous seeing such young boys driving so fast,” said commuter Farzana Akter, who regularly travels through Mohammadpur. “They race like it’s a game, but we are sitting there thinking whether we will reach home safely.”
Her words echo what many silently endure. These vehicles are routinely overloaded. Passengers are crammed far beyond safe limits. Some even hang from the back, exposed to sudden turns, brakes, or collisions.
“Every time I ride a leguna, it feels like taking a risk I never fully signed up for. Some passengers are left hanging off the back, holding on however they can while the vehicle speeds through traffic. The legunas themselves often look barely fit, as if safety was never part of the design. I feel very nervous,” said a commuter.
The system around them is equally broken. Many legunas run without registration. Some carry fake number plates. Others have none. Still, they move openly in front of traffic police and authorities. Dhaka’s transport crisis has allowed these unsafe vehicles to thrive.
In a city struggling to move millions each day, legunas fill a transport gap. But they also expose a painful failure of regulation. Until strict enforcement arrives, thousands in Dhaka will continue stepping into these battered machines, hoping each journey does not become their last.
