Joynal Abedin Khan :Defying the government-fixed rate, almost all the bus operators are overcharging from passengers on different routes in the capital and its adjacent districts due to lack of proper monitoring by the authorities concerned.Although it is mandatory to put up fare chart in buses, the bus staff are not following it and they are collecting extra fare from the commuters in the name of ‘sitting service’ or ‘gate lock service’, the passengers alleged. Even some city service operators are taking minimum fare Tk 30 to Tk 50 for a very short instead of government’s fixed lowest charge Tk 5 and Tk 7 for minibus and general bus respectively.Of them, VIP Transport Ltd (special) has fixed lowest fare Tk 50 for any distance on the Gazipur to city’s Azimpur route while Prochesta Transport Ltd fixed TK 55 for any distance on the capital’s Abdullahpur to Mawa Ghat. Also Jabal-e-Nur Transport Ltd, Kanak Transport Ltd, Projapati Transport Ltd, Gazipur Tranport Ltd, Bikalpo Transport Ltd, Bandhon Tranport Ltd and Utsab Transport Ltd have been collecting minimum fare Tk 25 to Tk 45, on different routes in the city.Following the increase in gas prices, the government raised fare for gas-run buses and minibuses by 10 paisa per kilometer that came into effect from October 1. As per the new fare chart, commuters are supposed to pay Tk 1.70 for one kilometer journey by buses while Tk 1.60 for the same distance journey by minibuses.During a spot visit to different routes, some passengers told The New Nation on Tuesday that they now have to count Tk 2-4 for travel on different routes as bus operators are not going by the new fare chart.Abdur Rahman, a passenger said, “Earlier, I used to pay Tk 7 for travel from Farmgate to Motijheel. Bus operators are now charging Tk 10 defying the new rate.”Sharmin Akhter, another passenger said, “Earlier I used to pay Tk 24 for travel to Paltan from Mirpur. Now all the buses running on the route charge me Tk 28. “”The government should set up monitoring cells at major bus stoppages so that passengers can lodge their complaint against charging them extra and misbehaviour by any bus operators,” she said.She also said that although Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has launched drives against overcharging, the number of mobile courts are insufficient compared to the number of buses.Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association held a public hearing in front of the National Press Club on Monday, highlighting the excessive fares and other issues. According to them, 87 per cent of the bus passengers in Dhaka city are overcharged. According to the association, “The bus owners’ syndicate is so strong that, with political protection, they have simply gone out of control.”In the meantime, the mobile court lodged more than two hundred cases and fined Tk 1 crore for charging extra fares, not for displaying the fare list on vehicle display and other irregularities. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at a recent programme admitted that 40 per cent of the city buses are charging extra fares from passengers.The Minister also said that during his field visit to different city routes in the last few days, he found that many buses charging fares beyond the government fixed rate.”The fare was increased by just 10 paisa after the gas price was increased. But in the past few days, I as well as some department officials have observed that many transport owners are charging additional fare violating government rules,” he said. The Minister further said some BRTC buses had been found among the rule breakers.In addition, the BRTA has set up five mobile courts which will be active around the city to prevent such illegal activities, he added.Meanwhile, the Road Transport and Highways Division also sent letters to the Deputy Commissioners of Gazipur, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Manikganj and Narsingdi districts to run mobile courts to prevent this illegal practice of the bus owners in the districts.”We do not have the capacity to run more than five mobile courts at a time. So we have instructed the Deputy Commissioners of the districts adjacent to Dhaka to run their own mobile courts,” the Minister said. Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity Secretary General Khandaker Enayetullah Khan, said, “We have urged the government not to convict the transport owners and workers instantly so that alternative action can be taken against them.
