AC bus operators: Overcharging rampant ahead of Eid

Jannatul Ferdous usually travels to her village in Gaibandha in Al Hamra Paribahan from Dhaka. The AC bus operator charges Tk 1,200 per ticket.

However, with Eid approaching, the bus company has nearly doubled the fare. She had to pay Tk 2,200 for an advance ticket.

"Overcharging during the Eid rush has become normal, but paying an extra Tk 1,000 is simply ridiculous," she said.

"Besides, I thought things would be different this time, given that a new government came to power following a mass uprising. But nothing has changed here," Jannatul working at a private firm told The Daily Star.

Like Jannatul, hundreds of passengers travelling on AC buses -- except for those run by a few reputed companies -- were forced to pay extra during the Eid rush in the absence of a fixed fare for such services and proper monitoring.

Although the hike is not as steep for non-AC buses, most private operators, particularly lesser-known companies -- are still overcharging passengers ahead of Eid.

Our correspondents visited Sayedabad Bus Terminal and various counters at Arambagh yesterday and spoke to at least 20 people, many of whom bought tickets from different counters across the capital, to know the extent of overcharging by bus operators.

Bus operators were found charging an extra Tk 200 to Tk 1,000.

Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, said they found that non-AC bus operators on northern routes were taking an extra Tk 300 to Tk 600, while AC buses were overcharging between Tk 500 and Tk 1,500.

"A similar situation was seen on most other routes, except for Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet," he told The Daily Star yesterday.

The Samity, a passengers' welfare platform, will hold a press conference today, demanding an end to the anarchy of overcharging and passenger harassment during the Eid rush, Mozammel added.

Thousands of people have already started leaving Dhaka to celebrate Eid with their loved ones, and the pressure of holidaymakers is expected from tomorrow evening as the nine-day public holiday begins on Friday.

Many travellers could manage to get advance tickets on high fares.

OVERCHARGING

Mujibur Rahman travelled from Sayedabad to Barguna's Betagi on a non-AC bus of Meghna Paribahan on March 10, paying Tk 550. 

However, when he went to the bus counter on March 22 to purchase a ticket for the same route, he was shocked to find the fare had surged to Tk 1,000.

"This happens every Eid -- the bus fares shoot up, and we have no choice but to pay," Mujibur told this correspondent yesterday.

"When I asked the bus staffers about the sudden rise, they just shrugged and said the company fixed the new rate. They claimed that they had no control over it," he added.

Similarly, three months ago, Abdul Ahad went to Satkhira's Shyamnagar from Dhaka on a non-Ac bus of Emad Paribahan bus, paying Tk 650.

But when he visited the Sayedabad bus counter yesterday, he was asked to pay Tk 850 for the same trip, an increase of Tk 200.

"This is unfair! Why this sudden hike? They are simply taking advantage of passengers' demand," he said.

When asked about the fare increase, Khalilur Rahman, a staffer at Emad Paribahan counter, denied the allegation, saying, "The fare has always been the same."

Asif Uzzaman, who works for a firm, travelled to Cox's Bazar from the capital by an AC bus of Shyamoli NR Travels on March 18 paying Tk 1,700.

"But ahead of Eid, when I went to buy a return ticket from the same counter at Sayedabad, the counter staffers were asking for Tk 2,000! That's an increase of Tk 300 for no reason," he said.

Shakil Hossain said that he purchased a ticket at Tk 1,800 of an air conditioning Green Line Paribahan bus and made a trip to Cox's Bazar from Dhaka in the first week of December.

"But when I went to buy a ticket from the Arambagh counter today [Tuesday], its employees demanded Tk 2,000 for the same route," he said

"This is robbery! When I questioned them, they just shrugged and said, 'Take it or leave it.' Is this how passengers should be treated? There's no authority to check this, no one to hold them accountable."

This newspaper could not reach the owners of Green Line Paribahan, Shyamoli NR Travels and Al Hamra for comments.

A top transport leader, wishing not to be named, said they have nothing to do with AC buses as there is no fixed fare for such services.

As per the Road Transport Act-2018, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is to determine 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 fix the fares if there are allegations of overpricing, says section 34 (2) of the law.

But the authorities never fixed the fare for AC buses.

"Taking advantage of the situation, bus operators fix the rate for normal time, but the situation deteriorates during the Eid rush," a BRTA official said, wishing anonymity.

BRTA Chairman Mohammed Yasin neither responded to our phone calls nor text messages.

A press release by the Road Transport and Highways Division yesterday said that mobile courts are conducting drives to prevent overcharging.

Contacted, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the road transport and bridges ministry, said that they would take actions, including revoking registrations, if the allegations were found to be true.

"However, the complaints must be specific," he told The Daily Star last night.