Reza Mahmud :
Sitting bus services have been stopped from Sunday but collection of extra fares continue in the capital city.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority on Saturday announced as a ‘final’ decision to stop collecting extra fare on public buses in the name of ‘sitting service’, ‘gate lock’ and ‘non-stop’ services from Sunday.
It also directed the bus operators to hang fare list in buses, remove bumpers, side angles, roof carriers and extra seats.
But it was found that the bus supervisors were collecting extra fare like previous sitting services and other so-called special services. Many of the buses have no fare chat. The Mobile Court fined many buses for those irregularities.
“Suprovat and Anabil Paribahan have collected sitting bus fare from Saidabad to Gazipur. The supervisors of those buses said they did not know about the new decision of BRTA,” said Mehedi Hasan, an Engineer, told The New Nation from Jatrabari area.
Raida Paribahan bound for Gazipur from Jurain area in the city was found collecting Tk 10 from Jurain to Jatrabari while the real fare is Tk 5. When asked the conductor of the bus said, it is special rate for the bus.
The Rongdhonu Paribahan bound to Mohammadpur from Jurain found collecting Tk 15 from passengers from Jurain to Motijheel as previously sitting bus fare.
Bihongo Paribahan bound to Sadarghat from Mirpur Duaripara was found collecting extra money as a sitting service.
On the spot at Shahbagh it was found that the
supervisor of Bihongo Paribahan charged Tk 25 from a passenger as fare from Shewrapara to Motsyo Bhaban while the local bus fare is Tk 15. The passenger, Jakir Hossain, has given a note of Tk 20 and asking Tk 5 return but the supervisor was asking more Tk 5.
The supervisor was found engaged with quarrel with other passengers who insisted to give local bus fare. He told passengers that the fare of the bus is unchanged as the gas price not reduced.
The same incident was found in Dishari Paribahan. It collected Tk 25 from passengers Mirpur-1 to Shahbagh where the real fare is Tk 15 according to the BRTA list.
“The so-called special services like sitting service, non-stop and gate lock have stopped but the chaos and quarrel with conductor increased. As all the buses have been converted as local bus, they are taking huge passengers and taking fare like sitting and direct services like previous days,” Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity told The New Nation yesterday.
The passengers in Farmgate, Shahbagh, Gulistan, Jatrabari and many other places in the city also alleged of fare anarchy in buses in different routes.
The Mobile Court also conducted drives against the irregularities of public buses.
It stopped buses and checked their irregularities in Asad Gate, Agargaon, Hazrat ShahJalal International Airport, Ramna and Jatrabari areas.
Executive Magistrate Munib Rahman told journalists at Agargaon that he filed 30 cases against public buses. Some buses were found collecting extra fare and some have no fare list.
A total Tk 69,500 was collected as fine from different buses due to such irregularities.
The BRTA said they will drive against irregularities of public vehicles six days in a week, while the vehicle owners association will drive three days in a week.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the drive will continue to stop all irregularities in passenger vehicles.
“It was found that some buses involved in some irregularities like collecting special services fare and not to hang fare list in buses. As the first day, some supervisors may not understand the real meaning of stopping special services. But we are hopeful that these irregularities will go soon,” said, Khandakar Enayet Ullah, General Secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity yesterday.
Apart from these, the female passengers said they feel uneasy as there is no sitting bus service where they would feel free to journey. Most of them do not feel easy the congested journey with male passengers, they said.
Sitting bus services have been stopped from Sunday but collection of extra fares continue in the capital city.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority on Saturday announced as a ‘final’ decision to stop collecting extra fare on public buses in the name of ‘sitting service’, ‘gate lock’ and ‘non-stop’ services from Sunday.
It also directed the bus operators to hang fare list in buses, remove bumpers, side angles, roof carriers and extra seats.
But it was found that the bus supervisors were collecting extra fare like previous sitting services and other so-called special services. Many of the buses have no fare chat. The Mobile Court fined many buses for those irregularities.
“Suprovat and Anabil Paribahan have collected sitting bus fare from Saidabad to Gazipur. The supervisors of those buses said they did not know about the new decision of BRTA,” said Mehedi Hasan, an Engineer, told The New Nation from Jatrabari area.
Raida Paribahan bound for Gazipur from Jurain area in the city was found collecting Tk 10 from Jurain to Jatrabari while the real fare is Tk 5. When asked the conductor of the bus said, it is special rate for the bus.
The Rongdhonu Paribahan bound to Mohammadpur from Jurain found collecting Tk 15 from passengers from Jurain to Motijheel as previously sitting bus fare.
Bihongo Paribahan bound to Sadarghat from Mirpur Duaripara was found collecting extra money as a sitting service.
On the spot at Shahbagh it was found that the
supervisor of Bihongo Paribahan charged Tk 25 from a passenger as fare from Shewrapara to Motsyo Bhaban while the local bus fare is Tk 15. The passenger, Jakir Hossain, has given a note of Tk 20 and asking Tk 5 return but the supervisor was asking more Tk 5.
The supervisor was found engaged with quarrel with other passengers who insisted to give local bus fare. He told passengers that the fare of the bus is unchanged as the gas price not reduced.
The same incident was found in Dishari Paribahan. It collected Tk 25 from passengers Mirpur-1 to Shahbagh where the real fare is Tk 15 according to the BRTA list.
“The so-called special services like sitting service, non-stop and gate lock have stopped but the chaos and quarrel with conductor increased. As all the buses have been converted as local bus, they are taking huge passengers and taking fare like sitting and direct services like previous days,” Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity told The New Nation yesterday.
The passengers in Farmgate, Shahbagh, Gulistan, Jatrabari and many other places in the city also alleged of fare anarchy in buses in different routes.
The Mobile Court also conducted drives against the irregularities of public buses.
It stopped buses and checked their irregularities in Asad Gate, Agargaon, Hazrat ShahJalal International Airport, Ramna and Jatrabari areas.
Executive Magistrate Munib Rahman told journalists at Agargaon that he filed 30 cases against public buses. Some buses were found collecting extra fare and some have no fare list.
A total Tk 69,500 was collected as fine from different buses due to such irregularities.
The BRTA said they will drive against irregularities of public vehicles six days in a week, while the vehicle owners association will drive three days in a week.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the drive will continue to stop all irregularities in passenger vehicles.
“It was found that some buses involved in some irregularities like collecting special services fare and not to hang fare list in buses. As the first day, some supervisors may not understand the real meaning of stopping special services. But we are hopeful that these irregularities will go soon,” said, Khandakar Enayet Ullah, General Secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity yesterday.
Apart from these, the female passengers said they feel uneasy as there is no sitting bus service where they would feel free to journey. Most of them do not feel easy the congested journey with male passengers, they said.
