As millions of Bangladeshis heading towards home to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with families, passengers are facing rampant overcharging on buses and minibuses, with fares for long-distance routes from Dhaka reportedly soaring by Tk 500-1,600 above official rates.
Despite assurances from the government that extra charging would be curbed this year, travelers say chaos in fare collection is widespread.
The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) has described this year's fare irregularities as unprecedented, warning that the "anarchy" of overcharging could break records of the last 20 years.
Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury claimed that 87 percent of buses and minibuses are demanding excessive fares, including city buses in Dhaka and other major cities.
Passengers reported being forced to pay hundreds of takas extra per ticket, often due to artificial shortages created by operators who book tickets through agents before releasing them to the public.
For instance, the AC fare on the Dhaka-Satkhira Green Line route was Tk 1,000 but now reaches Tk 1,600. Other operators charge up to Tk 2,200 for the same route.
The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association echoed these concerns, noting similar irregularities across inland water routes.
Secretary General Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said, "The government's announcements appear to endorse the collection of additional fares, undermining passenger welfare and turning Eid travel into a financial burden for ordinary citizens."
A survey by the association highlighted fare hikes on several key routes:
Dhaka-Pabna: Tk 550-600 ? Tk 1,200; Dhaka-Natore: Tk 550-580 ? Tk 1,200; Dhaka-Rangpur: Tk 500 ? Tk 1,500; Dhaka-Noakhali: Tk 500 ? Tk 800; Dhaka-Lakshmipur: Tk 500 ? Tk 700; Chittagong-Lakshmipur: Tk 400 ? Tk 800; Chittagong-Bhola: Tk 450 ? Tk 900.
In addition, operators are reportedly forcing passengers to buy tickets for other destinations under the pretext of unavailability. Travelers bound for Satkania, Chakaria, or Bandarban are compelled to purchase higher-priced tickets, while others heading to Bogura are being routed to Rangpur or Naogaon.
Despite these reports, Road Transport, Railways, and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam recently claimed he had received no complaints about extra fares in the past week. He added that fares generally do not exceed official rates, and in some cases passengers may pay only Tk 100 more, with some operators even offering discounts of Tk 20-100.
However, ground reports from major Dhaka bus terminals-including Sayedabad, Arambagh, Kalyanpur, and Gulistan-tell a different story. Passengers described long lines, artificial shortages, and confrontations with operators demanding inflated fares.
The Passenger Welfare Association warned that fare irregularities this Eid could trigger broader social and economic consequences, including price hikes on essential commodities, renewed extortion in the transport sector, and increased road accidents. Low-income passengers would suffer the most, the group noted.
To prevent such problems in the future, the association called for digital fare collection, elimination of cash transactions, installation of CCTV monitoring on highways, and stronger governance in public transport.
With Eid just around the corner, millions of travelers are left navigating overcrowded terminals, higher fares, and a chaotic transport system-raising serious questions about enforcement and accountability ahead of the nation's largest annual travel period.
