Fuel Pass hits roadblock right after trial

The newly introduced Fuel Pass app, which aims to reduce fuel-supply volatility, stumbled just after its trial.
Trust Filling Station in the capital's Tejgaon is one of the two facilities where the system was trialled.
Customers thronging it on Sunday said they could not enter the app and were forced to stand in long queues to refuel their vehicles.
Employees at the filling station said the app was not working due to server complications, which was why they resorted to the previous system to provide fuel.
"We sold fuel through Fuel Pass on Saturday. But we could not do that today due to technical glitches on the server," Shahriar, an employee, told The Financial Express.
Motorcyclists said they could finally refuel their vehicles after waiting for several hours.
"I registered on the app, but it is not functioning now," one of them, named Md Aminul Islam, said. He said he could refuel his motorbike after waiting for at least three hours.
Md Faisal Ahmed, who works in the private sector, told The Financial Express he had relied on buses for commuting during the last two weeks as he could not ride his motorbike due to the fuel crisis. "I refuelled my bike today after waiting for around five hours. Now I can use it to go to work and return home for a few days," he said.
"I refuelled my car after waiting for over five hours," Md Firoz, a car driver, told The Financial Express at HK Filling Station near T&T High School in Motijheel.
Motorcyclist Md Faisal had to wait for two hours and a half to refuel his vehicle there.
Drivers expressed anger about the situation.
They said the government had claimed that there was sufficient fuel supply, but the reality was different.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) introduced Fuel Pass on April 9. Apart from Trust Filling Station, the app was trialled at Sonar Bangla Filling Station in Asadgate.
"I tried to register on the app but failed. Despite providing all the required information, I could not get registered. The app kept telling me to try again," motorcyclist Md Ashiqur Rahman told The Financial Express on Sunday morning.
Another one named Nazrul Islam said he had faced the same problem while trying to register on Saturday night.
He said he was compelled to wait in long queues to refuel his motorbike.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com