Jatri Kalyan Samity demands revision of hiked bus fares 

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (JKS) has denounced the decision to increase public transport fares in the wake of the fuel price hike.

Its Secretary General Mohammad Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, in a press release issued on Sunday, said that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) increased bus fares as per the demands of the bus owners.

Rejecting the current fares, he urged the authorities to set reasonable and acceptable transport fares. 

The government increased the fares for intracity and long-haul buses by 16% and 22% respectively following demands from the bus owners of the country.

The bus owners, however, sought to increase the fare by 30%, citing the spike in mechanical parts prices due to the Ukraine-Russia war. 

This came a day after fuel oil prices were increased by 42.5% to 51.6% – the highest in 20 years.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division hiked diesel and kerosene prices by Tk34 per litre to Tk114 and octane and petrol prices by Tk46 per litre to Tk135 and Tk130, respectively.

Prices of diesel and kerosene were increased by Tk15 last November and fixed at Tk80 per litre.

After the hike in diesel prices, bus fares were hiked by around 27%, launch fares were hiked by 35%. 

"Around 98% of the buses and minibuses playing city streets are unfit for service. Besides, 48% of the long-haul buses are operating for more than 20 years. These buses are very risky. The quality of passenger service in these vehicles has hit rock bottom.

"The bus fares announced yesterday were prepared considering the old, unfit vehicles as new ones. This severely violated the interest of the passengers. We demand separate cost analysis and separate fares for new and old buses," he added in the release.