Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam warned on Tuesday that route permits of transport owners will be cancelled if they collect fares higher than the rates fixed by the government.
He added that fines will be imposed and transport operators will face accountability when applying for route permits in the future.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the minister said that the gazette notification regarding the newly determined bus fares will be published on Tuesday itself and will take effect immediately upon publication.
He explained that an inevitable situation to increase fuel prices arose due to the global fuel crisis. Under the conventional fare adjustment process, a Tk1 increase per litre of fuel translates to a 1 paisa hike per kilometre.
Recalling previous adjustments, Rabiul mentioned that when fuel prices earlier increased by Tk15 per litre, transport owners demanded a fare hike of 15 paisa per km, alongside demands to consider dollar rate hikes, management costs, and maintenance expenses. However, the government had fixed the fare increase at 11 paisa per km at that time.
Following the current fuel price increase of Tk20 per litre, transport owners demanded a 20 paisa per km fare hike based on standard calculations, alongside maintenance expenses. Instead of 20 paisa, the government has set the fare increase at 17 paisa per kilometre.
The minister acknowledged that transport sector expenses and prices of vehicle spare parts and equipment have risen due to higher dollar exchange rates, but asserted that the government consistently attempts to adjust fares keeping the public interest in mind.
Addressing allegations of extra fares already being collected in various areas, Rabiul noted that overcharging did not occur following the previous 11-paisa increase, and charging above the 17-paisa limit will not be tolerated this time.
He admitted that isolated tendencies to overcharge exist and acknowledged that the country’s transport sector does not always operate according to policy. Reaffirming strict action, he warned that exceeding set fares will lead to route permit cancellation, fines, and scrutiny during future permit issuance.
Turning to other transport modes, the minister stated that train fares were not increased previously, and there is currently no plan to raise train fares. A final decision regarding train fares will be taken at a meeting the day after tomorrow, while discussions on launch fares will also take place with the Launch Owners’ Association on the same day.
