Trust Transport Services and Toma Group are ready to press into service 47 octane-run modern taxicabs in the capital from Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the new Bangla year 1421. The step is expected to break the long spell of non-availability of this public transport.
Of the new transports, the army-run Trust Transport Services will operate 30 cabs, and Toma the rest 17. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate the new taxicab service in the first week of April.
Operators say by June the number of the taxi cabs with engine capacity varying from 1500 cc to 2000 cc belonging to Premio, Allion, Probox and Axio models of Japan's Toyota automobile manufacturer, would be more than 600.
"We are planning to bring the Premio, Allion, Probox, Axio models of Japanese Toyota company in consideration of using the cabs for a longer time and the safety issue." said Mohammad Mustafa Kamal, chief executive officer (CEO) of Toma Group.
He said the new taxicab service is likely to regain the confidence of the commuters as the cars would run fitted with necessary safety equipment and technology.
M Monir Hossain, managing director of Gulf Auto Cars Ltd, which is importing the taxi cabs for the two companies, said all these cars would have GPS system, vehicle tracking system, wireless etc., in order to track and trace all vehicles of this type anywhere in the country.
"Even the cabs could be stopped any moment anywhere if urgency demands," said the CEO of Toma Group referring to the safety issue of the commuters.
Qazi Abidus Samad, managing director of Trust Transport Services, said importing octane-run taxicabs is viewed to ensure up-to-date cab services for commuters as the existing cabs have failed to provide the minimum level of service.
"The issues of taxi fare revision and quality of the cabs have been considered as per the Taxi Cab Policy so that the service can be continued," he told the FE.
He pointed out that at present no taxicab and auto rickshaw drivers abide by the government-announced fares due to the gap between service costs and the real fare.
Earlier, the communications minister told journalists on Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) premises, while demonstrating two taxicabs of Toyota Allion and Toyota Axio models, that the fare of the cabs has been fixed keeping in view the quality of service.
"We hope that people will take the issue of the taxicab fare positively," he said adding that introducing octane-operated taxicabs was aimed at stopping criticism that had been triggered after bringing diesel-run taxis. He, however, parried a question about the fixation of fares at high rates.
The Ministry of Communications at a meeting on Monday re-fixed the rate of taxicabs, increasing the first two kilometres' fare to Tk 100 from Tk 60. It also fixed Tk 34 for every kilometre (km), with Tk 8.5 for waiting every two minutes. The on-call rate for the cabs has been fixed at Tk 20.
The communications minister said the taxicab companies would bring 500 taxis by May, which would be launched evenly in Dhaka and Chittagong.
