Ctg bus owners agree to meet students’ demand

Transport owners in Chattogram city have accepted the demand of introducing half bus fares for students in principle.

Sources from within the owners' associations said a declaration in this regard will come through a press conference today.

However, they also said the announcement would come with two demands from their side, one addressing the government and another addressing  students.

"The government has raised our taxes four times this year. We accept the demand of students regarding half fare, but we will place a demand before the government to reduce our taxes," said Belayet Hossain, general secretary of Chattogram Metro Paribahan Malik Group.

"In addition, we urge students to be in their school and college uniforms, and carry identity cards while boarding our buses when asking for half fares," he said.

Belayet said a series of meetings were held among different transport owners associations in Chattogram over the last week to come to this decision.

"On Friday and Saturday, we sat together and decided to accept the demands on principle," he said. "We will announce it on Sunday (today) in a press conference at Chattogram Press Club."

Contacted, Tarun Dasgupta, president of City Service Owners' Association in Chattogram, said although most of the buses plying different city routes have very low income per day, they still accept the demands for the sake of greater interest.

"The students are our future. Our children are also students, and so we don't want to cause them distress," he said. "This is why we have decided to accept their demand. But at the same time, we would urge the government to reduce the increase in taxes imposed on public transport this year."

General students as well as different students' organisations have been demonstrating in the port city, demanding the government to introduce half public transport fares for students.

Arif Mainuddin, central president of Ganatantrik Chhatra Council, said they welcome the decision.

"Our demand was not to the transport owners; the students demanded the government to introduce half fares for them throughout the country," he said. "But it's good that the decision is being taken in the port city, after it was taken for Dhaka metropolitan."

"We would urge the government to introduce the provision for students throughout the country in all sorts of public transport, not only for buses," he said.