Hiked fares, shortage of public transport make Dhaka commuters suffer

Commuters in capital Dhaka, especially office and school goers, have been suffering on roads since Sunday morning.

Public transportation was less than regular and those who were offering their services were charging more than the government announced fares.

Busses that are plying Mirpur, Agargaon, Farmgate, Mohakhali, Kalyanpur, and Banglamotor areas are packed with people and have almost doubled their prices, said many passengers.

Hundreds were seen waiting at various intersections and bus stops in the vain hope of getting a ride. Demand for auto-rickshaws and rickshaws was high, and fares went up.

According to the bus drivers, most of the companies have taken out fewer buses today.

Meanwhile, gas-operated public transports too have hiked fares, violating the government directive to only increase fares of diesel-run vehicles.

The minimum fare for buses and minibuses has been increased to Tk10. 

While visiting different parts of the capital today (7 August), reporters of The Business Standard found several bus companies to have illegally increased their fares by at least 50%.

A number of passengers complained that they had to pay Tk10-Tk20 more than they used to, which amounts to an increase of over 50%.

In Mirpur-1, Ajmeer Sheikh, an employee of a private company, said, "The buses are charging extra citing the fuel price hike. The fare from Mirpur-1 to Gulistan was Tk30. Today I had to pay Tk50.

"We, the general people, are suffering a great deal. How long will this continue? How much do I earn? Costs are constantly on the rise, unlike our salaries." 

The government increased the fares for intracity and long-haul buses by 16% and 22% respectively following demands from the bus owners of the country.

This came a day after fuel oil prices were increased by 42.5% to 51.6% – the highest in 20 years.

It said the new fares are not applicable for CNG-run vehicles.

Parveen Akhtar came from Gabtoli to Shahbagh on a Boishakhi Paribahan bus. She paid Tk25 as fare. But the helper had demanded Tk30.

Parveen said, "I travel on this route every day. Earlier, I used to pay Tk18 taka to reach Shahbagh from Gabtoli. As per the revised fares, we should not be charged more than Tk25.

"Several passengers, including myself, paid Tk25. Although the helper was adamant to charge us extra. We asked him to show us the new fare chart but he failed to do so."

When asked about the fare chart, the driver, seeking anonymity said, "We are yet to get the new chart. That is why we are charging previous fares. Still, the passengers are arguing with us."

Contacted, BRTA Director and Spokesperson Mahbub E Rabbani, said, "The new fare chart will be completed by today."