Buses charging extra fare, not following 50% seats vacant rule

Even though the government has set 60 percent raise in public transport fare and 50 percent seats vacant rule amid Covid-19 outbreak, most of the buses are not following them as thousands of people are leaving Dhaka at the eleventh hour to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with their family.

After visiting Mohakhali bus terminal on Friday morning, long queues were seen in front of the ticket counters. The rule of taking 50 percent passengers of bus capacity were not seen to be followed.

The bus staffs were found to charge extra from the home-bound people.

Shoukhin, a Mymensingh-bound, bus was seen taking passengers with full of its capacity.

"Each and every buses are taking passengers full of their capacity. It is not a big issue," said a bus helper regarding extra passengers amid Covid-19.

The usual price of one ticket was Tk220 before the pandemic, after 60 percent raise in public transport fare, it should not be more than Tk352. But the bus is taking Tk500 for each seat.

"If you want to sit alone in two seats, you have to spend Tk1,000," the helper said. Like them, other bus services were seen doing the same thing.

People are suffering, but still most of them have no other option without using buses to reach the destination.

When this correspondent approached the acting in-charge of Mohakhali Bus Terminal Police Fari, Joydeb Joydhor, he told The Business Standard, "Buses are taking advantage of rush for the Eid season and it is really important for people to leave Dhaka today."

"We are trying hard to prevent the malpractices from yesterday night and detained some bus staff as they were taking passengers full of bus capacity. After that local transport leaders came and assured of following the rules," he added.

"But they are repeatedly doing the same thing. People are also paying the extra fare as they need to reach their destination before tomorrow," he further said.