Staff Reporter :Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said the on going mobile court operation will continue against the public transport engaged in extracting excess fare from the passengers as well as unfit vehicles in city. “Although the city commuters will face difficulties for temporary period, the drive will continue,” he said while speaking in a meeting with the officials of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) at Motijheel in city.He said some 60 per cent public transports are charging fixed government fare from the passengers while 40 per cent charging excess.Obaidul Quader also instructed the BRTC officials to stop charging access fare from the state-run buses and to make them neat and clean. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association (BPWA) on Monday called upon the government to take immediate step to stop charging of excess fare. “As the government hiked the transport fares, it will have to take the responsibility for taking effective steps to stop excess fare,” Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association chief advisor Syed Abul Maksud said while speaking in front of the National Press Club in city.He said that transport fares hiked by the bus-minibus owners are higher than that fixed by the government “If the charging of excess fare continues, it will also increase corruption,” he said. Prof Anu Muhammad said the government will have to improve the passenger facilities and ensure availability of public transport service in city.Earlier on Sunday as the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) launched mobile courts against unfit vehicles and the practice of forcing passengers to give extra fare, bus owners and workers went on a sudden strike, which made thousands of commuters suffer in the city.The government has increased bus and minibus fares by Tk 0.10 per kilometre in Dhaka, Chittagong, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Manikganj and Narsingdi with effect from October 1. According to the new rates, passengers have to pay Tk. 1.70 for each kilometre of travel, instead of the existing Tk. 1.60, while minibus fare has been hiked to Tk. 1.60 per kilometre from the existing Tk. 1.50.It means that passengers now have to pay Tk. 1 extra for a 10-km journey. But bus operators are allegedly charging more from passengers.BRTA Chairman said that a total of 2,350,000 vehicles are plying on the streets across the country at present. Of them, the number of unfit vehicles is around 3,50,000, he added.
