The communications ministry, unfortunately, has been insensitive to the interests of the passengers using all modes of public transports when it comes to the fixation of fares. May it be the fare of passenger buses or of auto-rickshaws, the ministry has been found to be more sympathetic to the cause of the owners of vehicles than that of the common people.
In fact, the commuters need to blame themselves for encouraging the vehicle owners and the government to hike fares illogically. The former have demonstrated a sort of 'fait accompli' attitude towards the hike in fares of passenger vehicles from time to time. Usually every hike triggers grumbling among the people. But after a few days they stop grumbling and accept the hike without any protest. Media do speak for the cause of the passengers, but the owners and the government combine ignore the same terming it as 'baseless' criticism.
The communications ministry has of late come out with a move to help the commuters who want to avail 'comfortable' taxi cabs in Dhaka and Chittagong. But it has apparently gone too far while fixing fares for the new taxi cab service in Dhaka city, scheduled to start from the first day of the upcoming Bengali New Year. The officials at the ministry concerned, it seems, have fixed fares of the new taxi cab service targeting only billionaires as its passengers.
Otherwise, how can they fix a taxi cab fare for the first two kilometres at Tk. 100 and Tk 34 for every subsequent km and Tk 8.50 as waiting charge for every two minutes? A passenger for travelling from Mirpur Section no. 11 to Motijheel during peak hours will have to pay a minimum fare of Tk. 900. The estimated amount includes the waiting charge of Tk. 360 for half an hour. The middle class, except for medical emergency, is unlikely to take on such an expensive ride.
Allegations have it that the business of new taxi service, which would use Toyota sedans, was not made open to all. Rather two particular companies were selected to operate the air-conditioned taxi cab service in July last year. The companies were scheduled to press their vehicles into service by November. But the companies reportedly deliberately delayed the service and created pressure on the ministry to revise upward the fares agreed earlier. The communications ministry has given in to pressure and hiked the fares of late, along with a decision to allow the cabs of these two companies to travel to areas surrounding the Dhaka city. The taxi cabs earlier were not allowed to go beyond the Dhaka city.
The taxi cab service introduced in the mid-90s in Dhaka city could never gain popularity. Commuters generally avoided the yellow cabs, the air-conditioned ones, that had outlived their allotted time. The black and blue small cab service comprising very low-quality Indian vehicles named, Maruti, having an engine capacity of 800 cc have gone off the roads following the expiry of their tenure. Those used to charge fares slightly more than that of CNG auto-rickshaws. But commuters never liked the service because of the discomfort associated with the travelling.
This time around the communications ministry has decided to offer an improved taxi cab service. But the costs associated with the comfort seem to be too much to bear with by the passengers.
According to a report published in a Bengali national daily, the fare fixed for the new cabs are either double or triple of the same charged in Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Kathmundu and Colombo. The fare is more than what is charged by taxis in Bangkok.
The communications ministry, according to a report published in another Bengali daily Sunday last, is now considering yet another hike in the fares of auto-rickshaws. The hike could be around 60 per cent. If the proposed hike is enforced, the middleclass would have to forget the luxury of using auto-rickshaws.
During peak hours, an auto-rickshaw charges a minimum of Tk. 300 for journey between Mirpur and Motijheel. Following the proposed hike, the fare would go up to Tk. 500.
It seems that the proposed hike in auto-rickshaw fare is somehow connected with the introduction of new taxi cab service and their high fares. Commuters would find the fares of new taxis not that 'exorbitant' if compared with that of the auto-rickshaws!
It is not for the first time the authorities concerned have demonstrated their love for the motor vehicle owners. The incumbent communications minister tends to show his sympathy for the people who use public transports. There is no denying that the situation is now relatively better than that prevailed during his predecessors. But, going by the trend, one does have reason to believe that he, too, often succumbs to pressure coming from the vested interest groups. The new taxi cab fare can be cited as an example.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
