Fares rise before govt announcement

If the government's regulatory mechanism has, by and large, failed to work with the transport sector, nowhere it is more pronounced than in its intervention to regulate transport fares. The case in point is the breaking of the pledge that transport owners had given to communication minister Obaidul Kader in a meeting last Tuesday.
They started over-charging the commuters even before the government could re-fix the fares proportionate to the fuel price increase. This is not the first time that commercial vehicle owners and operators have hiked fares at their sweet will nor is it going to be the last perhaps.
Every time there is a hike in petrol or diesel price, transport companies fall in a race to outdo one another in charging higher fares far in excess of the raise in the fuel price. According to BRTA's cost analysis, an increase by Taka one in diesel price should mean an increase of poisha one in the fare. Since the cost of diesel has increased by Taka seven the bus fare should have gone up by poisha seven per kilometre. But the actual fare charged, particularly in long distance commutation, is much higher.
It has been expedient for the transport owners to factor in all costs borne on their side including even the purchase price of the vehicle, let alone other operating costs to fix their rates unilaterally.
The whole burden of higher cost is translated into impoverishing the commuters, of especially middle and low income brackets who are an overwhelming majority. This is very unfair.
It is the government's responsibility to protect consumer interest, but it seems as helpless as the commuters, or shall we say, playing into the hands of transport lobbies.
Our suggestion is the government announce any new addition to fares simultaneous with each installment of increase in the fuel price it resorts to. Of course this must be based on a rational formula arrived at through a consensus among all stakeholders. Anarchy in such a vital sector cannot be allowed to continue to the detriment of consumer interest.