Gate-lock service intensifies sufferings of commuters during Ramadan: Survey

Commuters in Dhaka city have been facing extreme sufferings as about 96 per cent of the bus-minibus plying in the city streets keeping their doors shut in the name of seating service during the changed Ramadan office hours from the beginning of the holy month of fasting.

Bangladesh Jatree Kalyan Samity (JKS), a platform of passengers' welfare, came up with a survey results on Saturday, reports UNB.

Passengers who need to get in and get off from buses in between two long-distance points are facing utmost sufferings between 7:00am and 11:00am and 2:00pm to 11:00pm during this Ramadan as the public transports have been operating the so-called gate-lock service, according to the survey.

Besides, 94 per cent of CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers are giving passengers the rides on contractual basis, and 98 per cent of them are charging extra.

Five JKS teams conducted the survey for six days in different city points including-- Gulistan, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Postagola, Shahbagh, Farmgate, Mirpur-10, Mohakhali, Agargaon, Dhanmondi, Banani and Baridhara areas.

Drivers of 310 buses and 557 passengers, drivers of 214 auto-rickshaws and 185 auto-rickshaw passengers and 56 taxi-cab passengers took part in the survey.

The survey revealed that 82 per cent of passengers expressed their displeasure over the activities of the public transport in Ramadan. Some 92 per cent of the passengers are victims of widespread sufferings and 98 per cent of the passengers are victims of extra fare. Around 62 per cent passengers are bound to get into and get down from running buses.

Around 93 per cent of the passengers do not know how to file complaints about their sufferings and 88 perccent of passengers admitted that they do not register complaints as they thought they will not get any remedy.