Bus fares reduced by Tk0.05 per km

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) on Wednesday lowered the fares of diesel-run buses and minibuses by only 5 paisa per kilometre following a slight reduction in fuel prices on the local market.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri announced the decision after a meeting among BRTA officials, transport sector leaders and stakeholders at the BRTA office in Dhaka.

The new fares come into effect today.

Long-haul bus fares have been lowered to Tk 2.15 per km from Tk 2.20 per km while the fares in metropolitan areas like Dhaka and Chattogram have been reduced to Tk 2.45 per km from Tk 2.50 per km.

The minimum fares for riding a bus or minibus in the cities have been kept unchanged at Tk 10 and Tk 8 respectively.

Earlier on Monday, the government slashed fuel prices by Tk 5 which came into effect from early Tuesday.

Diesel and kerosene retail prices were fixed at Tk 109 per litre while that of petrol at Tk 125 a litre and octane at Tk 130 per litre.

On Wednesday, Amin Ullah Nuri told the reporters that they will conduct mobile courts and take immediate action if any irregularities are found over charging extra fares.

When asked about why some CNG-run buses in the capital were charging extra fares as the fares were hiked only for the diesel-run buses, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association General Secretary Khandaker Enayetullah said when the price of compressed natural gas had increased, the CNG-run buses started to convert into diesel-run ones as the vehicles have no dedicated CNG-engines while the CNG reduces the lifespan of buses.

As many as 318 CNG-powered buses run in Dhaka city and the number is declining, he added.

Earlier on August 6, the government increased the bus fares following a record fuel price hike in the country.

The authorities raised the fares by 22 per cent on long routes and 16 per cent in Dhaka and Chattogram cities.

Long-haul bus fares were raised from Tk 1.80 per km to Tk 2.20 while the fares in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitans were increased from Tk 2.15 per km to Tk 2.50.