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The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has proposed increasing bus fares by 20 paisa per kilometre following a Tk20-per-litre hike in fuel prices.
Under the proposal, the fare for inter-district buses could rise from Tk2.23 to Tk2.43 per kilometre, while city bus fares could increase from Tk2.53 to Tk2.73 per kilometre. The proposal has been sent to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry for a final decision.
The proposal was discussed at a meeting between the BRTA and transport sector representatives at the authority’s Banani headquarters in Dhaka on Monday.
Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Additional Secretary General ASM Ahmed Khokon said the increase was proposed in line with the rise in fuel prices.
According to the transport owners, a Tk1 increase in fuel prices had previously been linked to a 1-paisa increase in bus fares per kilometre.
As fuel prices have now risen by Tk20 per litre, they proposed a 20-paisa increase.
Transport owners have urged the authorities to issue a gazette notification on the fare adjustment immediately, warning that failure to do so could lead owners and workers to raise fares independently because of higher fuel costs, potentially creating disorder in the sector.
Diesel prices were raised from Tk115 to Tk135 per litre from Sunday night.
The latest proposal is still subject to approval by the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry.
