Bus, launch fares shoot up

Bus and launch owners withdrew their strike on Sunday after the government agreed to accede to their demand and raised fares.

The government increased the fare for buses by 27 per cent and 35.29 per cent for launches from today. The impromptu strike from Friday followed a Tk 15 hike in diesel prices from Tk 65 to Tk 80 per litre, and caused massive public suffering.

The decision came at a meeting that took place between Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and bus owners on Sunday.

“The increased bus fare will take effect from Monday. The road transport authority will propose the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges for gazette notification in this regard,” BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting was held in BRTA office in Dhaka to fix the fare for all public transport following the recent fuel price hike and subsequent strike that was withdrawn after the meeting.

However, Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van Goods Transport Owners Association declined to withdraw their strike till the government reduces diesel price.

As per the new fare, the intercity and long-routed buses will hike their fares by 26.76 per cent, city buses 26.47 per cent and city minibuses 28.13 per cent.

The city minibuses provide key public transportation services, and the cost of daily commute will increase for the denizens in the capital.

The minimum fare of buses and minibuses is set at Tk 10 and Tk 8 respectively in metropolitan cities. In 2015, the minimum fare was set at Tk 7 for city buses and Tk 5 for minibuses.

Inter-city and long-routed bus fares have increased from Tk 1.42 to Tk 1.80 per kilometre respectively.

The BRTA chair said the bus fare in Dhaka, Chattogram and all metropolitan areas will go up from Tk 1.70 to Tk 2.15 per kilometre while that for the city minibus from Tk 1.60 to Tk 2.05 a kilometre.

Earlier, it was reported that the transport owners proposed to increase the bus fare in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas by 41 per cent to Tk 2.40 per kilometre and for minibuses by 50 per cent to Tk 2.40 per kilometre.

They had asked for a 41 per cent increase to Tk 2 per kilometre for long-routed buses.

Against the demand, BRTA officials proposed Tk 1.82 and Tk 2.10 for per-kilometre fare hike for long-routed and intra-city buses respectively. 

Urging the government to rescind its decision to hike fuel oil prices Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has said even if the bus fare is raised, it should not cross 15 paisa per kilometre.

Ramesh Chandra Ghosh, chairman of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association, Ghulam Rahman, chairman of Consumers’ Association Bangladesh, Shukdeb Dhali, director (operations) of BTRC, and representatives from several government agencies and transport-related bodies, including the Bangladesh Transport Workers’ Federation, attended the meeting on Sunday.

On Wednesday last, the government increased diesel and kerosene prices by Tk 15 per litre from Tk 65 to Tk 80 in order to keep them in line with the rising fuel prices in the global market.

In protest against the move, different associations of public and cargo transport owners and workers on Friday launched a strike for an indefinite period, causing inconvenience to the commuters across the country.

The associations demanded either a rise in fare or a reversal of the 23 per cent hike in order for them to resume services.

During the three-day strike, passengers were seen eagerly waiting for any mode of transport at bus stations and struggled to find alternate means to get to their destinations.

Launch fare hiked by 35.29%, strike withdrawn

The ongoing launch strike was withdrawn on Sunday after the government increased its fare by 35.29 per cent in line with the recent transport fare hike.

The decision was taken following a meeting between Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and launch owners in the capital on Sunday.

BIWTA Chairman Commodore Golam Sadek presided over the meeting which was attended by Bangladesh Inland Waterways (Passenger Carriers) Association president Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, senior vice-president Bodiuzzaman Badal, and Bangladesh Launch Owners’ Association Secretary General Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan.

The government has increased launch fare from Tk 1.70 to Tk 2.30 per kilometre in line with the recent hike of diesel price.

At the same time, the minimum launch fare has been fixed at Tk 30, up from Tk 18.

Much to the misery of commuters, the launch owners on Saturday joined the nationwide public transport strike to protest the rising fuel prices.

Earlier, the launch owners demanded a 100 per cent increase in fare to resume operation if the raised fuel prices are maintained.