Buses are yet to remove all the extra seats, although the leaders of Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association (DRTOA) pledged that no seats would be set up in the risky zone of the buses.
The buses operating on the city roads on Monday were seen that they just unlocked their gates only, but charged extra fares and running with additional seats.
At least five to seven passengers sat on these seats, which were set up on the engines at every bus.
Shamim Patwary, a businessman of Gulistan area, told The New Nation on Monday, “I have come from Kazipara in Mirpur by Bihangga bus service. I sat a seat on the engine. It was very disgusting because it was difficult to sit there as the hot air of the engine disturbed my health.”
Rifat Hossain, another businessman, said, he was going to Sadarghat by a Swajon Paribahan bus. The fare was Tk 15 when it was “sitting service.” But it is maximum Tk 10 for local bus. The conductor took Tk 15 from me almost forcibly. It was very unfair, he said.
The city people also raised question about the role of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) what they said, how dare of the drivers and conductors to violate the BRTA and owners’ decision.
They said, the BRTA and the owners should sit in another meeting to implement their decision.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of BRTA Md Moshiar Rahman on Monday said that the route permits of the bus services, which were not running after the authorities banned ‘seating’ or ‘gate locked’ services in the city, would be cancelled.
Monitoring a mobile court in front of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the city, he told reporters that the names of the owners, who refrained from operating their bus services on city roads, would be listed.
‘And the route permits of the buses would be cancelled’, he said.
Khandakar Enayetullah, Member Secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association, said that they would give all kinds of assistance to the BRTA in this regard.
‘The problem would not be resolved in one day’, he said.
The mobile court was operating at five points of the city on Monday.
Earlier, the leaders of Dhaka Road Transport Owners’ Association (DRTOA) have decided not to operate any special services and remove additional seats, rooftop carriers and side angles from buses from April 15 and sought legal help from BRTA to implement the decisions.
The BRTA also announced the ‘sitting service’ or ‘gate lock service’ totally illegal while it was mandatory for all Dhaka city service buses to follow the government-fixed fare chart.
Since Sunday morning BRTA’s five executive magistrates were conducting mobile courts at Tejgaon, Agargaon, Asad Gate, Ramna, Jatrabari and Airport areas where five vigilance teams, formed by DRTOA, were also present to assist the drive.
