Eid travel: Various tactics used to charge higher fares

The distance from Dhaka to Gournadi upazila in Barishal is about 146 kilometres. From there, the distance to Patuakhali is roughly another 80 kilometres. Even if a passenger boards a bus in Dhaka and gets off at Gournadi, they must pay the fare up to Patuakhali. There are no buses that operate only up to Gournadi. Although buses run up to Barishal, it is difficult to get tickets during Eid travel.

This is one of several tactics used to collect extra fares ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr. Several other strategies are also being used to collect additional fares on long-distance buses. Passengers say that the price of advance tickets is at least predetermined. However, when passenger pressure increases toward the end, bus owners start operating additional trips on the spot. Fares on those trips are charged arbitrarily.

These tactics have been continuing for years, and extra fares are being collected. The government often warns that strict action will be taken if additional fares are charged; however, effective measures are not taken.

Such a warning has also been issued this time. On 28 February, the new government’s minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Railways, and Shipping, Sheikh Robiul Alam, told journalists after visiting the Shitalakkhya River and port in Narayanganj that strict action would be taken if there is any attempt to charge extra fares on roads, railways, or waterways during Eid travel.

This time there will be a continuous seven-day holiday around Eid. Eid travel will fully begin from 17 February. However, transport owners and workers say ticket demand is highest during the last two days before Eid.

Fares higher than normal are being charged on almost all bus routes. For example, on Wednesday afternoon, Popi Mondal, a passenger traveling to Meherpur, was found at the Gabtoli bus terminal. She said she bought a ticket for a JR Paribahan bus for Tk 750. Normally, the fare on that route is Tk 650.

However, Ataur Rahman, an employee of JR Paribahan, told Prothom Alo that according to the government rate the fare to Meherpur is Tk 750, but they usually charge less during normal times. Not during Eid. The reason, he said, is that buses return empty on the way back.

However, organisations working on passenger rights say bus fares are set in such a way that actually allows owners to collect extra money. For example, the fare is determined assuming that a bus costing about Tk 4.6 million will run for 10 years. But many long-distance buses are older than 10 years. The government has not been able to remove buses older than 20 years from the roads due to pressure from owners.

On the other hand, when fares were last fixed in 2022, diesel cost Tk 114 per litre. Now it is Tk 100 per litre, yet fares have not been reduced.

While visiting Shyamoli, Kalyanpur and Gabtoli bus terminals in the capital on Wednesday less crowd were seen. Bus workers said the rush will increase as Eid approaches.

In some cases, fares higher than the fixed rate are being collected. For example, Purbasha Paribahan operates buses from Abdullahpur in Dhaka to Kaliganj in Jhenaidah. Normally the fare per passenger is Tk 650. But for Eid, the fare is being charged between Tk 790 and Tk 800.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has set the fare. According to BRTA’s fare chart, the distance from Dhaka to Kaliganj in Jhenaidah is 192 kilometres. Including ferry tolls, the fixed fare for a 40-seat bus on this route is Tk 606. Even though slightly higher fares are sometimes charged in normal times, nearly Tk 200 extra is being collected during Eid.

Ticket sellers of Purbasha declined to comment on additional fare, claiming that this is the fixed fare. Mehdi Hasan, an employee of a private company, told Prothom Alo that Purbasha charged him Tk 280 more than the usual fare for two tickets dated 19 March.

Another tactic is to operate buses from places outside the terminal and set fares according to their own preference.

The BRTA does not set fares for air-conditioned (AC) buses. However, the Road Transport Act states that the BRTA can take action if unreasonable fares are charged for AC buses.

In normal times, different fares are charged from Dhaka to Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. But during Eid, passengers who want to travel to Chattogram or an earlier destination are also being forced to pay the fare up to Cox’s Bazar.

Meanwhile, on the Dhaka–Barishal route, Sakura Paribahan normally charges Tk 700 for a standard AC bus. During Eid it is charging Tk 1,100. Fares have not increased in Sohag Paribahan, which operates on the same route. It charges Tk 1,200 year-round for its high-quality AC buses.

People concerned from transport sector said AC buses consume more fuel and require higher investment to purchase. Therefore, higher fares are not unusual. However, charging nearly double the fare of ordinary buses for AC buses is not acceptable.

Saiful Alam, secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, told Prothom Alo that they are working to prevent the collection of extra fares at terminals.

However, most bus tickets are now sold online, so it is not always possible to know everything, he pointed out.

According to Saiful Alam, the government and the transport owners associations are launching help desks to prevent the collection of extra fares.