National Committee demands mobile Courts on roads to curb fare anarchy

The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways has urged the immediate operation of mobile courts on the roads to stop fare anarchy and harassment of passengers on public transport.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday (26 September), the organization’s president Mohammad Shahid Mia and general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey made the demand to the government.

The statement said that although the government has increased fares for buses and other public transport services following the rise in fuel prices, transport owners have not displayed fare charts on any of the buses operating in Dhaka city.

However, displaying fare charts specifying fares according to distance is mandatory for all types of city and intercity buses.

The national committee alleged that taking advantage of the absence of fare charts, bus conductors are charging passengers arbitrary fares.

This has led to arguments and even physical altercations between transport workers and passengers.

The National Committee also alleged that although such disorder has been continuing for the past four to five days on city buses in the capital as well as on bus services operating between Dhaka and neighboring districts, the regulatory body, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), has remained silent, the statement alleged.

The signatories of the statement urged the government to immediately conduct mobile court operations by the BRTA and district administrations in Dhaka and across the country to curb the fare-related exploitation and disorder in public transport.