Bus fares are likely to rise by 20 paisa per km following the Tk 20-a-litre fuel price hike, with transport owners proposing the increase to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
The proposal was discussed at a meeting between the BRTA and transport stakeholders at the authority's Banani headquarters in Dhaka this evening, ASM Ahmed Khokon, additional secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association said.
Under the proposal, fares for inter-district buses would increase from Tk 2.23 to Tk 2.43 per km, while fares for city buses would rise from Tk 2.53 to Tk 2.73 per km, he said.
“We proposed increasing the fare by one paisa per km for every Tk 1 increase in the price of fuel. So, a Tk 20 per litre increase would translate into a 20-paisa-per-km increase,” Khokon added.
“We have placed our proposal before the BRTA. The BRTA will send it to the ministry for a final decision,” he said.
Asked about reports that some operators had already increased fares by as much as Tk 50 per passenger, Khokon said no such decision had been taken by the association.
“We have no decision regarding those increases,” he said.
The government yesterday raised the prices of all four major petroleum products by Tk 20 per litre. Diesel rose to Tk 135 from Tk 115 per litre, with the new prices taking effect from last night.
The government last revised bus fares on April 23 following an increase in diesel prices.
At the time, inter-district and metropolitan bus fares were raised by 11 paisa per km. Inter-district fares increased from Tk 2.12 to Tk 2.23 per km, while fares in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas were set at Tk 2.53 per km. In the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority area, minibus fares were fixed at Tk 2.43 per km.
