Bus fares rise by 17 paisa/km, passengers overcharged 

Bus fares have been fixed at 17 paisa extra per kilometre following a Tk20-per-litre diesel price hike, but passengers on several Dhaka routes already being charged more even before the new fare chart was officially issued.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting involving the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and representatives of transport owners and workers.

Under the revised rates, fares for large buses in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas will rise from Tk2.53 to Tk2.70 per kilometre, while minibuses will go up from Tk2.42 to Tk2.59.

For 52-seat long-distance buses, the rate will increase from Tk2.23 to Tk2.40 per kilometre.

The new fares will take effect after the BRTA issues a gazette notification and publishes a detailed fare chart. Officials said preparing the route-wise fare list could take another couple of days.

On Monday, the BRTA had proposed increases of 20 paisa per kilometre for long-distance buses and 18 paisa for city services. The final adjustment was set at 17 paisa for both.

Officials said the revision was made solely to reflect higher fuel costs, without factoring in other operational expenses.

The government raised diesel prices by Tk20 to Tk135 per litre on Sunday night. Diesel prices were last raised by Tk15 per litre in April, prompting an 11-paisa-per-kilometre increase in bus fares.

Yet passengers on several Dhaka routes said they were being charged higher fares from Monday night despite the absence of a new official fare chart.

During visits to Shanir Akhra, Asad Gate, Farmgate and Banglamotor on Tuesday, instances were found where transport workers were collecting up to Tk5 more per stop.

On a Moumita Paribahan bus operating on the Shanir Akhra-Chandra route, a helper warned passengers while boarding that fares had increased. A dispute later broke out over the extra charges.

The fare from Shanir Akhra to Chankharpul and Nilkhet, previously Tk20 and Tk25, was being collected at Tk25 and Tk30, respectively. Students, who previously paid Tk10, were also reportedly being charged Tk15.