Bus fare hiked by 17 paisa per kilometer

Bus fare increased by 17 paisa per kilometer following the price hiking of fuel oil. It has been hiked in all types of buses.

The decision was taken on Tuesday (22 September) in a meeting between Road Transport Ministry and transports owners.

The chief coordinator of the central committee of Jatiatabadi Sromik Dal, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, MP, said according to the government's direction, the fare should be augmented by 20 paisa, but taking the public opinion, 3 paisa has been deducted.

So, according to the directions of the government, it would be 17 paisa per kilometre instead of 20 paisa.

The government would issue the gazatte today. It will be 17 paisa for both metropolitan cities and districts.

Shimul Biswas added, "Even one paisa hike would be a problem for the people. If any bus owner takes initiatives before our finalizing decision, the owners' association will take disciplinary action against him. The matter will be handled both administratively and officially by the association."

The Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association had proposed to the government to raise bus fares by 20 paisa per kilometre as the prices of fuel have risen.

The proposal to increase the fares was made during a meeting held at the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association (BRTA) headquarters in Banani on Monday (21 September).

According to the proposal, the fare of Tk 2.23 for long-distance and Tk 2.43 for Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan would be raised to Tk 2.53 and Tk 2.73 per kilometre respectively.

It may be mentioned here that the government imposed a new price list of petroleum products in the country through a gazatte issued last night (Sunday, 20 September). The new prices took effect this morning (Monday, 21 September).

Diesel used to sell at Tk 115, kerosene at Tk 135, petrol at Tk 140, and octane at Tk 145. The government has increased prices of diesel to Tk 135, kerosene to Tk 155, petrol to Tk 160, and octane to Tk 165 per litre.