Govt hikes bus fares by 27pc, strike withdrawn

The government has increased bus fares on long routes by 27 percent and fixed Tk 2.15 per kilometre for buses inside the city corporation areas.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder made the announcement while addressing a press conference, following a meeting with transport leaders, in Dhaka on Sunday.

He also said the new bus fare will be effective from Monday onwards and a gazette notification will be issued in this regard.

At the same time, the BRTA chairman said the fares have been increased following the demands from transport owners against the backdrop of fuel price hikes.

“However, there will be no fare hike for buses running on CNG,” he added.

Meanwhile, bus operators have withdrawn their ongoing strike with immediate effect after the government announced the new fares.

According to the fresh decision taken by the BRTA, long-route bus fare will be Tk 1.80 per kilometre, which was previously Tk 1.42.

For Dhaka and Chittagong, the fare has been hiked by 26.5 percent.

For large buses inside city corporation areas, the fare has been fixed at Tk 2.15 per kilometre, up from Tk 1.70.

For mini-buses, the fare was fixed at Tk 2.5 per kilometre, up from Tk 1.60.

The minimum fare for mini-buses and large buses will be Tk 8 and Tk 10, respectively.

On Wednesday, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15, making diesel Tk 80 per litre and kerosene Tk 65 per litre at the retail level.

This sudden price hike triggered agitation among transport owners and workers.

The next day, the convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council announced an indefinite strike from Friday protesting the hike.

The strike continued for the third consecutive day on Sunday exposing commuters across the country to acute suffering.

Thousands of travellers and tourists got stranded at places due to the strike enforced since Friday morning over the recent fuel price hike.