Advisor Presses to Halt Eid Fare Hike; Bus Owners Demand Extra Tk 200 Per Passenger

Staff Correspondent

Advisor Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan urged bus owners not to charge additional fares during Eid, but bus owners argued for Tk 200 extra per passenger due to losses incurred on return trips after the holiday.

The directive was issued during a stakeholder meeting organized by the Ministry of Road and Railways at the Power Building in the capital on Monday.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Secretary General Saiful Alam stated, “We’ve instructed terminal-level owners and workers not to collect extra fares. However, the reality is that passenger traffic is one-sided during Eid. Buses leave Dhaka full but return nearly empty.”

He added, “If buses operate at 75% capacity, we see a 10% profit. However, with only 25% capacity on return trips, we face losses. Just as airlines charge higher fares during peak seasons to cover costs, we too seek approval for additional charges during Eid.”

Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, Secretary General of the Passenger Welfare Association, opposed this proposal, stating, “Many routes, including Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, and Dhaka-Mymensingh, maintain two-way passenger flow even during Eid. Therefore, the claim of one-sided fares doesn’t hold water. A study on this matter is necessary.”

An official from the National Security Intelligence added, “Our records show that during the last Eid, non-AC buses charged 10-30% more than the fare chart, while AC buses charged 50-100% more due to a lack of regulation.”

Advisor Fauzul Kabir Khan commented, “We will address the fare issue after Eid.”

Meanwhile, M.A. Baten, acting president of the bus owners’ association, proposed, “We request an additional Tk 200 fare per passenger for seven days before and after Eid. This is not a permanent fare hike. If a bus travels to Khulna with passengers but returns empty, how will it operate? If we suffer such losses, buses may not return after Eid.”

The proposal surprised attendees, including the advisor, ministry officials, and stakeholders.

The meeting was also attended by local government, rural development, and cooperative advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant Sheikh Moin Uddin, Senior Secretary of the Road Transport Division Md. Ehshanul Haque, Bridge Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rauf, and Railway Secretary Md. Fahimul Islam.