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The government’s move to minimise bus fares goes futile as most of the operators have hardly any time to follow the circular ahead of the Eid.
Nabil, Hanif, Bablu, Al-Hamra, SR, Desh and other leading bus operators in Northern regions barely were found to reduce price of the ticket.
Md Awal, manager of Nabil Paribahan, told the FE that all tickets from April 4 to April 9 were sold out few days back at fixed rates.
“And now how could we give back Tk 10.83 to every passenger,” said Awal, pointing out the official order which has directed operators to reduce fair by Tk 0.03 per kilo (Tk 10.83 for Nilphamari passenger).
The Road Transport and Highways Division on Monday issued a circular for all bus operators to minimnise bus fare by Tk 0.03 (3 paisa) per kilometre following a decline in diesel price by Tk 2.25 a litre.
As per the circular, the fare of intercity and long-route buses will be Tk2.12 per km, instead of Tk2.15 per km. The fare of city buses will be Tk2.42 per km, instead of Tk2.45 per km. Fare for minibus will be Tk2.32 per km, instead of Tk2.35 per km.
The decision is set to ensure 1.3 per cent fall in long-distance bus fares and a plunge of 1.2 per cent in intercity bus fares.
Abdul Wadud, a bus conductor on the Mirpur 12-Gulistan route, said “We are offering customers to give us Tk 0.3 less to go to Gulistan from Mirpur 12, but no one was agreed”, he said jokingly.
Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association Suvenker Ghosh Rakesh said that the reduced fare hardly could give customers any relief.
He said Eid tickets had already been sold out before issuance of the government circular.
But “we will begin charging the new fare once BRTA provides the new chart”, he said.
Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice president SM Nazer Hossain said the new circular mesmerised them.
“I think this new fare chart has been issued only to shadow the big bus operators who already sold bus tickets at exorbitant rates” he said.
He said advance tickets were sold out last week at much higher rates.
He said Northern region-bound bus operators were charging Tk 2400-2800 for AC (Scania) bus tickets for Rangpur and Paanchagarh against Tk 1100-1650 in normal times.
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti secretary general Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury said the latest reduction was nothing but a mockery with the people ahead of the Eid.