Owners have demanded an increase in bus fares after the rise in fuel oil prices. They have put the demand to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Taking the proposal into account, the BRTA has also moved to adjust bus fares.
The new proposal speaks of raising city service bus fares by 18 paisa per kilometre and long-distance bus fares by 20 paisa. It also recommends leaving the minimum fare unchanged at 10 taka on buses and 8 taka on minibuses.
The matter was discussed and recommendations made at a meeting of the fare adjustment committee at the BRTA’s Banani office on Monday afternoon. The meeting began at 3pm and ended at around 5pm.
A member of the committee present at the meeting said, on condition of anonymity, that a rise of 18 paisa per kilometre on city services and 20 paisa on long-distance buses had been recommended, with a proposal to keep the minimum fare as before.
Sources concerned say transport owners had demanded a larger increase, of at least 40 paisa per kilometre. The committee’s discussion recommended a lower rate than that. The BRTA will now send a proposal to the government, and the final decision will be taken by the road transport and bridges ministry. Those concerned said a notification could be issued on the matter by Tuesday.
Earlier, on Sunday night, the government announced a rise of 20 taka a litre in the price of four kinds of fuel oil. As a result diesel rose from 115 taka to 135 taka, kerosene from 135 to 155 taka, octane from 145 to 165 taka and petrol from 140 to 160 taka. The new rates took effect from midnight.
Bus fares were also adjusted in April this year after an earlier rise in fuel oil prices. The price of diesel then rose by 15 taka a litre to 115 taka. A notification of April 23 raised long-distance bus fares from 2 taka 12 paisa to 2 taka 23 paisa per kilometre. Fares on buses in the Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas were set at 2 taka 53 paisa, up from 2 taka 42 paisa, and on minibuses in the DTCA area at 2 taka 43 paisa, up from 2 taka 32 paisa.
Before that, in August 2022, the price of diesel was raised from 80 taka to 114 taka. Long-distance bus fares were then raised by 40 paisa per kilometre and metropolitan bus fares by 35 paisa. When the price of diesel was later cut by five taka, long-distance bus fares were reduced on August 31 that year from 2 taka 20 paisa to 2 taka 15 paisa, and fares on buses in the Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas from 2 taka 50 paisa to 2 taka 45 paisa.
In April 2024, a move to adjust fares was also made after the price of diesel fell by three taka a litre. The BRTA then recommended reducing fares on long-distance and metropolitan diesel-run buses by three paisa per kilometre.