Bus fares go up by Tk.20 per km 

Bus fares across Bangladesh will increase by Tk0.20 per kilometre following the government’s Tk20-per-litre fuel price hike, with the adjustment agreed at an emergency meeting of transport stakeholders at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) office in Banani on Monday evening.

The meeting brought together representatives of the BRTA, bus owners, workers and other stakeholders to assess the impact of the higher fuel prices on transport operating costs. The government raised the prices of all four major petroleum products by Tk20 a litre, effective from Monday.

The revised bus fares will be implemented after the new official fare chart is prepared and issued. Until then, operators are not supposed to collect fares above the approved rates.

A S M Ahmed Khokon, additional secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, told The Daily Observer that the increase in fuel prices had significantly raised the cost of operating buses.

“The cost of operating buses has increased because of the rise in fuel prices. There was a need to adjust fares under the circumstances. After discussions at the meeting, it was decided to increase fares by Tk0.20 per kilometre,” he said.

Bus owners had proposed a Tk0.20-per-kilometre increase before the meeting, while some participants reportedly sought a higher adjustment. The meeting ultimately settled on Tk0.20 per kilometre.

The latest increase comes about five months after the previous fare adjustment following a rise in diesel prices.

In April, diesel prices were increased by Tk15 a litre to Tk115. Following that increase, long-distance bus fares were raised from Tk2.12 to Tk2.23 per kilometre.

The fare for buses operating in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas was raised from Tk2.42 to Tk2.53 per kilometre, while the rate for minibuses operating in the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) area increased from Tk2.32 to Tk2.43 per kilometre.

Under Monday’s decision, the rates will rise to Tk2.43 per kilometre for long-distance buses, Tk2.73 for Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan buses, and Tk2.63 for DTCA-area minibuses.