Govt urged to cancel transport curbs
The transport curbs without any discussion with the passengers or stakeholders led to a chaos
Passengers' welfare platform Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has urged the government to row back on the decision to keep half of the public transport seats vacant with 60% fare hikes.
Without adequate transport arrangements and keeping all offices open, the curbs have prompted immense sufferings of the passengers and chaos over transport fares, the organisation said in a press release on Thursday.
In the wake of resurging Covid-19 cases and deaths, the government on Tuesday increased public transport fares by 60% across the country as they will run with 50% of seating capacity. The decision came into effect on Wednesday.
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"The government move was to ensure virus safety rules. But most of the public transports in the country are not following those except overcharging the passengers," said the media release signed by Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury.
He said the transport curbs have put the working class, low income people and the jobless in trouble. The organisation also demanded cancelation of the ban on motorcycles operating under ride-sharing services.
Jatri Kalyan Samity sought strengthened monitoring to ensure that drivers, passengers and transport workers wear face masks and comply with the safety rules.
