Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader urged transport owners and workers to consider the plight of ordinary people and call off the strike over a hike in fuel prices, report agencies.
He made the call during a media briefing at his residence in Dhaka on Friday.
A nationwide transport strike began on Friday in protest against the government's decision to raise the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 to Tk 80 per litre.
Transport owners' and workers' groups stood firm on their decision to halt services indefinitely, and said they would not return to work unless the government either raises fares or reverses the fuel price hike.
A decision on the issue of fares is set to be taken tomorrow (Sunday), leaving commuters to suffer for at least three days.
On Friday, commuters were left stranded in most parts of the capital in absence of buses. They had little choice but to pay extra fares to get to their destinations on rickshaws, CNG auto-rickshaws and motorcycles. Passengers hoping to catch long-haul buses also faced disappointment at the terminals.
The strike also took a heavy toll on thousands of exam candidates, who struggled to get to the centres on time for admission test of the seven Dhaka University-affiliated colleges and recruitment tests of two dozen government institutions.
"The BRTA's fare rescheduling committee will meet on Sunday. We will meet the stakeholders, and try to make a realistic price adjustment that won't put any extra burden on people," said Mr Quader.
Along with the increase in fuel prices, tolls on the Bangabandhu Bridge and Muktarpur Bridge have also been raised. Addressing the matter, he noted that the rates have been increased to cover increased management and maintenance costs.
He added that toll at the Bangabandhu Bridge was last raised in 2011, and it was the first time the rate has been changed for the Muktarpur Bridge since its inauguration in 2008.
The minister opined that the tolls have been set at a "realistic and reasonable rate", and urged everyone to accept it.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) on Friday said the government would readjust the enhanced prices of diesel and kerosene at domestic level, provided the global fuel-oil prices go down.
Clarifying the government's position regarding enhancement of diesel and kerosene prices, it said the total loss incurred by the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) on account of marketing diesel alone stood at more than Tk 11.47 billion in the past five months due to hike in global price.
If the BPC continues to suffer loss, it would affect various development projects that have been undertaken for helping ensure the country's energy security.
Considering the situation, the government revised the prices of diesel and kerosene upward in domestic market, it said, adding that the price of diesel still remains lower in Bangladesh than that of neighbouring countries.
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