The commuters are held hostage due to the tug of war between the drivers and owners over the drivers' daily deposit money and shift system.

In the wake of continued harassment of the commuters, BRTA on Monday sued a number of owners and drivers for charging higher deposit money and fare.

After the government re-fixed the deposit money at Tk 450, the owners decided to introduce two shifts for drivers reducing driving hours. In some part of the city, especially in Jatrabari area, the owners have already started two shifts.

Earlier a driver used to get an autorickshaw for 14 hours (8:00am to 10:00pm), but with the introduction of two shifts, they get only around eight hours. The drivers say their livelihood would be seriously affected if all the owners introduce 8-hour shift.

"Owners have become greedy. Two shifts mean more money for them. It means twice the amount of the fixed daily deposit," said Mujibor Rahman Master, president, Dhaka District Autorickshaw, Auto-tempo, Mishuk Transport Workers Union.

"Earlier the owners used to take Tk 600 instead of the fixed daily deposit of Tk 300. Now they are introducing two shifts. They will get Tk 900 daily from the two shifts at the government has re-fixed the rate at Tk 450," Master explained.

"A CNG autorickshaw driver has to take gas two to three times a day. Every time we have to wait for around an hour in queue at gas station. That leaves only a few hours to run, which is not enough to feed our families," added Master.

In the current system drivers have to bear the expenses for gas and minor repair of the vehicle during the driving period.

"The owners cannot impose shifting system on us. It will only increase the sufferings of the passengers," Master added.

Admitting the fact, Barkatulla Bhulu, president, Dhaka City Autorickshaw Business Owners Association, said: "We have heard that some owners introduced the shift system." But he blamed a few corrupt people for this.

"We are discussing the issue with our members and requesting them to comply with the rules. The association will not extend any help to those corrupt owners if the law enforcers take action against them," he added.

In the new policy the authorities have not fixed the duration of driving hours.

Barkatulla said three-wheelers were introduced in Dhaka city in 1956. From the beginning the sector worked through understanding between the drivers and owners. The system worked in the same manner after the CNG run autorickshaws were introduced in 2001.

"If there is any crisis, both the parties need to sit together to resolve it."

Around 13,000 CNG-run autorickshaws are currently in operation in the capital. The sector plunged into a state of disarray as most of the drivers did not use meter and refused to go to destinations as requested by the passengers.

On the other hand, the autorickshaw owners charged more money than the fixed daily deposit money. The owners and drivers blamed each other for the disorder while the passengers remain hostage to the chaotic situation.

On May 1 the government introduced new fare structures in a move towards resolving the crisis. The passengers are now paying Tk 13.50 for the first two kilometers, which was previously Tk 12. For each extra kilometre the fare is Tk 5.50.

The new waiting charge is Tk 0.75 per minute, which was Tk 0.50 before. Daily deposit for the drivers was increased to Tk 450 from Tk. 300.

Moreover, most of the autorickshaw had tampered meters that show higher fare. So far metering system has been upgraded in around 7,000 autorickshaws. Tampering was detected even in newly installed and upgraded meters.

The drivers who are yet to upgrade their meters are charging fare at their will.

"The situation in the three-wheeler sector was quite chaotic. It will take a little more time to straighten it out," said Humayan Rashid, director (operations), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

"When we decided to enforce the new fare and deposit structures both the parties were present. But the problem remains among the owners themselves. They have several associations who disagree with one another," he added.

"We will enforce the new policy at any cost. Our main goal is to reduce public sufferings. Those who do not comply with the rules will face charges and fines. Mobile court is working to prevent the irregularities," he said.

BRTA on Monday sued drivers and owners for charging higher fares and deposit money. A mobile court conducted a drive to check the harassment of commuters. Thirteen cases were lodged against drivers and they were fined Tk 3,150. Besides, 10 cases were filed against the owners and their autorickshaws were seized.

Two autorickshaw owners were arrested for forcing shifting system on drivers.