PM opens new taxicab service in capital

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the taxicab service of Trust Transport Services at the Army Golf Club in Dhaka Cantonment yesterday. Photo: BSS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the authorities concerned to reduce the fare of the newly launched taxicab by 15 percent, showing utmost respect to public opinion and for the convenience of the mass people.
“Refix the first two kilometres' taxi fare at Tk 85 from Tk 100,” she said while inaugurating the taxicab service of the Trust Transport Services under the Army Welfare Trust aiming to address the longstanding crisis of quality public transport.
The inaugural ceremony was held at the Army Golf Club in the Dhaka Cantonment.
Speaking on the occasion, Hasina said although there was some criticism about the fixation of the taxicab fare, but people were ready to pay more if they got the proper service.
From yesterday, 46 air-conditioned, yellow taxicabs -- 27 of Trust Transport Services of Army Welfare Trust, and 19 of Toma Group, a private operator, started plying on the roads of the capital.
The number of taxicabs will be increased to 600 and these will ply on the roads of Dhaka and Chittagong.
The newly launched taxicabs of minimum 1500 cc are Premio, Allion, Probox and Axio models of Toyota, the leading automobile manufacturers of Japan.
The taxicabs will have GPS system, vehicle tracking system, wireless, etc., in order to track and trace all vehicles of this type anywhere in the country.
The Ministry of Communications earlier fixed the rate of taxicab fare increasing the first two kilometres' fare to Tk 100 from Tk 60. It also fixed Tk 34 for every additional kilometre, with Tk 8.5 for every two minutes' waiting. The on-call rate for the cabs has been fixed at Tk 20.
Hasina expressed the hope that the Taxicab Service under the Army Welfare Trust would ensure comfortable and safe journey in the capital and it would be a successful project through high standard of discipline, organisational efficiency, integrity and tireless labour of the members of the army.
Earlier, the prime minister launched the new taxicab service through handing over three keys of the trust cabs to three selected drivers.