High fare, limited buses in Dhaka

A limited number of buses have been operating on different routes in the capital city on the very first day of fuel price hike on Saturday, causing sufferings to people.

The commuters were seen waiting for long at the bus stoppages and those who managed to hop on a bus were being charged extra fare by the bus staff.

Joynal Abedin, a 73-year-old man, was going to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital along with his wife Shathi Akter. They came to the technical intersection from his Gabtoli residence on a rickshaw.

They moved to get on a bus there but the staff demanded Tk 60 from them when the fixed fare for the distance was Tk 10 per head.

“I will go there to show some medical test reports to a doctor. But they (bus staff) are demanding a three times high fare. Also there are no buses on the road,” he told Prothom Alo.

After a long wait, a Tanjil Paribahan coach came to the intersection from Mirpur but it was already packed with passengers. Some managed to get on the bus and the bus staff demanded Tk 25 for a trip to Farmgate and Tk 40 to Gulistan, against the fixed price of Tk 15 and Tk 25 respectively.

A ticket checker of Dishari Paribahan, on condition of anonymity, said his company generally operates some 60 buses on the route, but they limited the trip number to 10 for Saturday.

The main problem lies with price hike without adjusting bus fare, he said, adding that things would turn for the worse if the issue is not fixed within the day.

The energy ministry issued a notice on Friday, raising prices of fuel oil to an unprecedented high. The sudden price hike had a domino effect on the public.

The sector insiders said there is no precedence of increasing the fuel price so much at one go.