The government on Monday raised bus fare by five paisa a kilometre to offset the ‘10 per cent increase in fuel prices’.
The communications ministry approved the proposal of upwardly revised fares for buses, mini-buses and CNG-run auto-rickshaws as recommended by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority in keeping with the fuel price-hike which came into effect from Sunday midnight, said officials.
The fare of CNG-run auto-rickshaws has been increased by 14 paisas per kilometre while the minimum fares for buses and auto-rickshaws have remained unchanged.
‘Bus fare has been increased by five paisas and the fare of CNG run-auto-rickshaws by 14 paisas per kilometre. The ministry will issue a gazette notification to the effect within a day
or two,’ the secretary to the Road Division, Md Mozammel Haque Khan, told New Age at his office.
He said that the fares were increased this time not only because of the fuel price-hike only but also because of other factors that include increase in the prices of spare parts and workers’ wages.
Bus fare on the long routes has been increased to Tk 1.20 from Tk 1.15 a km, and the fares of the buses and mini-buses have been raised to Tk 1.60 and Tk 1.50 respectively from Tk 1.55 and Tk 1.45 in the metropolitan cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, with minimum fare being Tk 7 and Tk 5 respectively. The fare of the CNG-run auto-rickshaws has been raised to Tk 7.64 from Tk 7.50 per km while the minimum charge of the auto-rickshaw remains at Tk 25. The waiting charge for the auto-rickshaws has been increased to Tk 1.40 from Tk 1.30, according to the new chart.
The government has already failed to enforce the increased fares announced in May 2011 as many buses in the capital are still charging much higher fares than those set by the authority.
The vice-president of the Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association, Ramesh Chandra Ghosh, said that bus-owners would not accept the increase of only five paisas per km.
‘We reject the five paisa increase of bus fare. We are in the dark about the new fares. The authorities must consider other factors that include increase in prices of tyres and spare parts before revising the fares,’ he told New Age.
Ramesh claimed that the BRTA had held a meeting with transport owners earlier where it was decided that the fare would be increased by 35 paisa per km.
The government on Sunday increased for the second time this year the prices of all fuel oils, including diesel by Tk 5 per litre, and that of furnace oil by Tk 8 a litre, with effect from Sunday midnight, reportedly under heavy pressure by the International Monetary Fund.
The price of diesel and kerosene has been raised to Tk 51 from Tk 46 a litre, of furnace oil to Tk 50 from Tk 42, of petrol to Tk 81 from Tk 76, and of octane to Tk 84 from Tk 79.
The latest price increases have been made four and a half month after the previous fuel price-hike on May 6.
The government on May 19 increased bus fares by 35 paisa a kilometre in the metropolitan cities of Dhaka and Chittagong, raising the minimum charge to Tk 7 from Tk 5, following the price-hike of fuels.
Bus fare on the long routes was increased to Tk 1.15 from 94-96 paisa a km, and the fare of the CNG-run auto-rickshaws was raised to Tk 7.50 from Tk 7 per km while the minimum charge remained at Tk 25. The waiting charge for the auto-rickshaws was increased to Tk 1.30 from Tk 1.25 per minute.
Bus-owners in Dhaka city have already hiked the fares by around 100 per cent on some routes a day after the announcement of the price-hike of CNG, which has angered and inconvenienced most of the passengers.
The fare of diesel-powered inter-city buses was increased to Tk 1.15 from 94-97 paisas per km.
CNG-run buses, human haulers, auto-rickshaws and pick-up vans in the capital are also charging much higher fares than those fixed by the government.
-With New Age input
