Public transport owners are going to overcharge Eid-ul-Fitr holidaymakers an estimated Tk 8.32 billion, said Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (JKS) on Wednesday.
It said 220.75 million trips may be made in Dhaka and the surrounding areas, driven by Eid shopping and travel to home districts, from March 20 to 31.
These trips will be made using various modes of public transport, including road, rail, water, and air, and the extra fares would be drawn from those, it also said.
The organisation's Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury revealed the figures in a report at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
The report said 10.50 million people would travel to their village homes from Dhaka this year during Eid.
Despite various efforts by several government agencies to stop the collection of additional fares, travellers are being subjected to this only when they are leaving Dhaka for the Eid journey, it said.
This Eid, 98 per cent of public transport is charging extra fares, said JKS.
It said the largest number of passengers would use water transports this Eid.
About four million passengers will travel to various destinations in the country by 200 small and large launches through different ports, including Sadarghat and Narayanganj. Each passenger is being overcharged an average of Tk 50-1,000 based on class, said the association.
Besides, this Eid, about 2.5 million passengers will travel to their village homes by motorcycle. 30 per cent of them will use their own bikes.
Government and private airlines have been collecting extra fares since 10 days before Eid. On some routes, passengers are being charged double or triple the normal fares.
This Eid, at least 100,000 passengers will travel by air on domestic routes. If each passenger is charged an average of Tk 3,500 more, Tk 350 million will be collected in extra fares, the association added.
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