Bus operators continue to overcharge
Although the government-fixed new bus fares were supposed to come into effect yesterday, many bus operators continued charging extra money thanks to lack of an effective monitoring system.
During visits to different city bus stands, this correspondent witnessed harassment of passengers by the bus and CNG-run three-wheelers operators over extra fares.
However, the scenario of inter-district bus terminals was different, as the operators of this transport service did not charge extra yesterday.
The government on Monday re-fixed fares of bus and CNG-run three-wheelers but did not decide about the authorities to enforce its decision.
Two days after the decision Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) appointed two of its magistrates to see if the decision is being followed. The magistrates filed 39 cases against different bus services and realised Tk 72,700 from them for charging extra fares.
One of the magistrates was on leave yesterday, while his colleague conducted limited drive from 1:30pm to around 3:00pm and filed cases against four bus services, fined two of them, confiscated two buses and seized route permit of another bus.
Sources say the communications ministry was not interested that the BRTA continues the mobile court drives.
It wrote a letter to the police to take charge of enforcing the decision yesterday. Until then almost all the bus operators from Motijheel to Mirpur and Mohammadpur and others city routes charged extra fares.
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told The Daily Star last evening, "The letter has been sent to police to take action if any bus operator violates the government decision."
He said they are cancelling the route permit of the buses that are charging extra fares. But the minister did not mention how many route permits they have cancelled so far. Abul Hossain warned that no bus would be allowed to run on the streets violating the government decision.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak, who rode a city bus from Mohammadpur to Jatiya Press Club to see execution of the government decision, found instances of taking extra fares by different bus operators.
He advised a few passengers to file general diary with the police against the bus operators taking extra fares. The ruling Awami League lawmaker said they cannot allow bus operators to charge extra fares from the people, who voted them to power.
"What the government is doing? Why are they making decisions when they fail to implement that?" asked an angry passenger in Dhanmondi after being charged extra fares. Like him, many passengers reacted to The Daily Star at Farmgate and Science Laboratory intersection.
AL Presidium Member Obaidul Quader blamed non-coordination among the ministries and stockholders for problems triggered by the CNG price hike that led to an increase in fares.
Talking to The Daily Star, BRTA Magistrate Mohammad Tofael Islam said he confiscated a bus at Jatiya Press Club after passengers complained of charging exorbitant fares.
The magistrate said they could not conduct their drive for long as officials of ticket counters, which were overcharging the passengers in front of Jatiya Press Club, escaped seeing a mobile court in action.
"Moreover, the operators stopped running their buses through the press club road hearing the news of the mobile court and for this reason we could not continue our drive for long," Tofael added.
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