BRTA revises fares for buses plying 15 routes

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has introduced revised fares for buses plying on 15 specific routes, as new toll rates for vehicles using the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway come into effect on Friday.

A circular issued by the BRTA mentions that the revised bus fares included toll for this expressway.

For a 40-seat bus, a passenger will have to pay Tk 454 to travel from Dhaka to Barishal, Tk 423 to Gopalganj, Tk 575 to Khulna, Tk 257 to Shariatpur, Tk 580 to Pirojpur, Tk 561 to Patuakhali, Tk 344 to Madaripur, Tk 689 to Satkhira, Tk 323 to Faridpur, and Tk 767 to Kuakata.

The bus fare from Cox’s Bazar to Barishal has been set at Tk 1,388, from Chittagong to Khulna Tk 1,192, and from Chittagong to Barguna Tk 1,282 for each passenger.  

These fares have been revised by adding tolls of the expressway – named Jatir Pita Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway – at Tk 10 per kilometre, which was fixed recently by the Road Transport and Highways Division.

A joint venture firm led by the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) will collect the tolls and maintain the expressway. They will collect the tolls manually in the first six months.

The tolls for the expressway will be collected at Dhaleshwari Bridge, Bhanga, Abdullahpur, Srinagar, Puliabazar and Maligram. Vehicles using those points to enter or exit the expressway can pay tolls there.  The toll for using the Padma Bridge will be collected separately.

A truck now has to pay Tk 2,650, a bus Tk 2,895, a car Tk 890, and a bike Tk 130 for using this route, and the figures include toll collected at the Padma Bridge. Previously, a medium-sized truck and bus paid Tk 2,400, car Tk 750 and a motorcycle Tk 100 for using this route.    

It should be noted that the authorities concerned have already banned motorcycles on the bridge, and are thinking of banning this type of vehicle on the expressway as well ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha, said Road Transport and Highways Division officials.