‘We agree, but...’

A meeting on the half-bus fare issue raised by students ended inconclusively yesterday, after private transport owners sought incentives from the government for meeting the demands.

Although the top leadership of the transport owners' association was absent at the meeting, their representatives stated their condition.

In this situation, transport owners were asked to present their formal proposal as soon as possible, said Nazrul Islam, secretary of Road Transport and Highway Division, after the meeting.

However, the government is considering concessions for students boarding BRTC buses, and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader is likely to give an announcement in this regard today, he said.

Following the rise of bus fares on November 7, students have been demanding half fares for bus rides. Students and transport workers frequently got into heated debates over the issue.

On Tuesday, they issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government to meet their demands for half fares and security while using public transport.

Against the backdrop, the meeting was held at the headquarters of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), with Nazrul Islam in the chair. Representatives from education and home ministries and police were also present.

Nazrul said the government has taken the students' demand cordially. "We want to solve this through discussion. That's why we have called representatives of the transport owners' association."

The top leadership of the association could not join as they had their council yesterday, he said.

"They [owners' representatives] told us that they do not oppose half-bus fares, but they want incentives," Nazrul said.

But Nazrul added that the representatives were requested to consider the matter from a humanitarian ground and place a concrete proposal in their own discussion.

The meeting also requested education ministry officials to give a proposal after talking with chiefs of educational institutions in Dhaka, he informed.

Meanwhile, Obaidul Quader, taking part in the council at the capital's engineers' institute, said BRTA officials will hold another meeting with transport leaders tomorrow over the issue.