Untold story behind the CNG plight

Photo: Amdadul Huq/ Driknews.

Dhaka is dying. Most people would disagree with this statement -- the city seems to be growing every day, inching itself onto Ashulia and Savar. Old timers on the other hand would agree and say that the beautiful city they once called home is turning into an urban disaster.
However, the reason why I say that Dhaka is terminally ill is because a city with a failed traffic system cannot be expected to live for long -- and Dhaka's traffic system is facing all sorts of tribulations. While we can go on and on about the traffic congestion resulting from the lack of roads, the inability to uphold basic traffic laws and the ever increasing number of cars on the streets, my point of discussion today is somewhat different. A large number of people in Dhaka city rely on CNG powered taxis, and the almost daily pains taken by these people screams for a reform.
For the past two years, the fare for travelling by CNG powered taxis, or more simply CNGs as we commonly refer to them, has skyrocketed. On the passengers' front, sheer outrage has, with time, mellowed down to resentment and bitter acceptance towards CNG drivers.
For the greater part of time passengers are unable to convince a CNG driver to take them to their desired location. In the event that they manage to convince the driver, the requested fare is absurdly high, at times double the appropriate amount. While most of us blame the drivers, labeling them as greedy, inconsiderate exploiters of the poor man, we tend to overlook the reasons behind their behaviour.
While the knowledge is spreading, it is still not fully known by the masses that CNG drivers have to pay abnormally high rents for their vehicles. The government has fixed the rent for CNG vehicles at Tk.450. A CNG vehicle owner is entitled to only Tk.450 for renting out a CNG vehicle for a day. Violating this regulation, owners charge anywhere from Tk.550 to Tk.800 per day as rent. This translates into drivers charging higher fares, with the final burden falling on the shoulders of the everyday CNG users.
My personal, informal interviews with at least three dozen CNG drivers have led to the following statistics. On average, a CNG driver can make around fifteen trips a day in the heart of Dhaka city, under prevailing traffic conditions. They make an average income of about Tk.1500 or less, of which they pay half as rent, and a further Tk.300 as daily expenses on food and fuel. This leaves them with a net income of about Tk.500 per day. This is obviously due to the fact that they inflate the fare. If they abide by the meter, their net income is very low, and sometimes even in the negative.
The statistics mentioned above do not take into account the expenses of repairing a CNG driven auto rickshaw, the payment of which comes straight from the driver's pocket. Neither does it take into account that there are days when the vehicle might be unusable for the day, due to purposes of repair. The rent is not excused on such days and the driver is left in debt.
CNG owners on the other hand feel that the rent that they charge is perfectly justifiable. Tk.450 is just too low a rent is the shared sentiment. With most CNG owners owning around four vehicles on average, the regulated rent would yield a monthly income of Tk.54,000. Considering that they do not face maintenance charges, one would think that it is a reasonable return. Under the current circumstances, however, they can expect to have an income ofTk.90,000 with a rent of Tk.750.
What is certain is that the system needs to be reformed. A possible approach would be a calculated revision of the rent of the CNG vehicles and the fare for CNG driven vehicles. However, the rates would eventually have to be revised due to shifting macroeconomic forces such as inflation.
A better solution would probably be to allocate a percentage of everyday earnings between the owners and the drivers. It must be mentioned here that the CNG drivers should receive the greater share. This would provide greater incentive for them to undertake as many trips as possible, sparing commuters the hassle they face in trying to convince the drivers.
However, the CNG vehicle meters must be recalibrated so as to allow for acceptable levels of profits for both CNG drivers and owners. However, it cannot be stressed enough that the government needs to reform the entire public transport system. Affordable and accessible transport is vital for the healthy growth of a city, and Dhaka's public transport system has much room for improvement.
What is most important, however, is that such a system be effectively implemented and enforced. Proper monitoring and policing is mandatory. Drivers must have the right and available opportunity to report against their owners if they find a violation of the regulations. In order to keep the drivers in check, passengers must also have an easy means of complaining against individual drivers, say for example reporting the license plate number by simply texting it, or by online reporting (for more tech savvy customers, say university students).
In the end, it's the passengers who have it hardest. And while we curse the drivers of CNG driven taxis, we never realise that the root of the injustice is actually the owner. It's a sad truth about our nation that the guilty run scot-free while the poor and unprotected are handed out punishments and penalties.
The situation that we face today is just another example of the failure of purely capitalist ideals. Businesses driven by strong profit motives in a system of poor governance, in a society with low levels of education and a weak sense of social responsibility, will inevitably result in injustice. It is our responsibility that we change that system and not merely become a part of it.

Ahmed Bakr is a Fellow of Jagoree, a non-partisan youth platform, and a student of NSU.