New taxi cabs unlikely to hit streets on Pahela Baishakh

Munima Sultana | Published: April 13, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

New taxi cab service is unlikely to hit the city streets from Pahela Baishakh, as announced earlier, due to failure to complete major formalities like publication of a gazette notification on fares.
Officials said completion of registration, digital name plates, setting up of radio link and other facilities have also not been completed to ply the new brand of taxis from the first day of the Bengali calendar year. Â
"It is likely to be delayed by more than a week," said a source.
The communications minister on different occasions announced plying of the new taxi cabs in the capital from the first day of the Bengali New Year.
While demonstrating two models of the cabs at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) premises, he said 47 air-conditioned cabs will hit the city on the first day and the number will be increased to 500 by June.
However, the process slowed down over fixation of taxi fares as it would turn the country's cab fares one of the costliest in the world.
The BRTA proposed to almost double all kinds of fares including minimum fare, per-kilometre rate and waiting fare at Tk 100, Tk 60 and Tk 8.5 respectively to comply with the demands of two cab companies.
Officials said the BRTA is yet to revise the proposed rates.
The government allowed two cab companies -- one under the Army Welfare Trust Fund to ply modern taxi cabs of 1500 cc or above after giving tax facilities.
Managing Director of the Army Welfare Trust Fund-run cab company Qazi Abidus Samad said they are planning to launch the taxis from April 22. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate their part of the service.
He, however, could not confirm about revision of the fares.
"We are moving, taking the rates of the government into consideration. If there is any revision, we are to abide by the rate," he told the FE over phone.
It is still unknown when the cabs to be run by the Toma Transport would ply as the Prime Minister cannot inaugurate the taxi cab service under a private company.