Eid trip to north gets expensive
Coaches are overcharging people heading for the north by up to Tk 900, taking advantage of the Eid rush, poor monitoring, and no set fare for long-haul air-conditioned buses.
Operators of non-AC buses have also joined the bandwagon, taking up to Tk 200 extra per trip.
They are able to get away with ripping off people already under economic stress as government initiatives to stop overcharging have largely failed.
Tens of thousands of people leave Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj every Eid to spend the holidays with their loved ones in other districts and the authorities have never been able to stop them from being taken advantage of.
Even Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at a meeting on April 9 admitted that coach service providers were overcharging.
"Charging [the passengers] extra has not stopped. In some cases, it has come down slightly but it has not stopped. Many vehicles take passengers away from the bus stations where there is monitoring," he told reporters.
According to an estimate by Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, around 1.2 crore people will leave only Dhaka ahead of this Eid.
Sujan Ahmed, who works at a private firm, bought two AC-bus tickets of Hanif Enterprise on April 10 to go to Rangpur on April 19. He was charged Tk 2,400 for each ticket that had a premium of Tk 900.
"Price of each ticket was Tk 1,500 even a few days ago," he told this correspondent yesterday.
Speaking to this paper, another person wishing anonymity said an SR Plus Paribahan April-17 ticket to Rangpur cost Tk 2,400 on April 9.
"Tickets for April 18, 19 and 20 were also being sold for Tk 2,400," the person said, adding that the usual price is Tk 1,800.
The situation at Shohoz.com, where many buy bus tickets online, was no different.
For instance, a person going to Gaibandha yesterday on Alhamra's AC coaches was charged Tk 900 but the same trip would cost Tk 1,600 on April 18.
Hanif Enterprise charged Tk 2,100 for yesterday's trip to Panchagarh on its AC coaches but a trip on the same bus would cost Tk 2,900 on April 18.
Jubaer Hossain, vice president (business) of Shohoz said, "Bus operators fix the ticket prices and we just provide them ticketing services. We have nothing to do regarding the fares."
Hanif Enterprise General Manager Mosharref Hossain told The Daily Star yesterday, "We have increased the fares like other AC bus operators on the northern routes. Because the extreme heat and possible jams on the highway during the Eid rush will increase our expenditure."
As per Road Transport Act-2018, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is to set fares for public transport following government permission.
But AC coaches and public transport with special amenities are not under its purview, according to section 34 (2) of the act.
However, the government or the BRTA could take steps to set the fares if there are allegations of overcharging, section 34 (2) says.
But the authorities never fixed the fare for AC coaches. "Taking advantage of the situation, bus operators are charging at will," a BRTA official said wishing anonymity.
NON-AC BUSES OVERCHARGING
Many non-AC bus service providers have started overcharging.
Al-Amin Hossain, a labourer of Mirpur in the capital, said he bought a ticket for Rangpur from Shyamoli Paribahan for Tk 650. The usual fare is Tk 500, he said.
"I asked about the reason behind the hike when Eid is 10 days away but the staffers at the counter did not give any reason," he told this paper at Gabtoli terminal.
During a visit to the terminal between 9:30am and 1:00pm yesterday, no monitoring by government agencies was seen.
Abu Raihan, general secretary of Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association, told The Daily Star yesterday, "Usually we charge less than the fixed rate to compete. Now we charging the fixed rate but passengers are alleging that we are overcharging, which is not true."
Asked about the fares of AC buses, he said, "We have to charge extra as our buses return to Dhaka empty during the Eid rush."
Right before every Eid, the overcharging worsens and this time it is expected to be even worse as strict ticket checking on trains is expected to increase demand for bus tickets.
The Daily Star could not reach the BRTA chairman and Road Transport and Highways Division secretary for comments.
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