Withdraw 60pc increase in transport fare, reinstate original fares: BJKS

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS), a platform to protect passengers' rights and look into their welfare, has demanded to withdraw 60 per cent increase in mass transport fares immediately considering the affordability of the commuters, especially the ordinary ones.
Secretary general of the BJKS Mozammel Haque Chowdhury in a statement on Sunday also said that most of the transport operators were not following the health safety guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the government amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In late May, the government after consultations with the mass-transport owners issued an order raising transport fares by 60 per cent and allowed the transport operators to carry 50 per cent passengers against the total capacity of their vehicles aiming to ensure the passengers' health safety and stem spread of coronavirus in the country.
But since then, most of the transport operators are running their vehicles flouting the health directives putting the passengers health at risk amid the pandemic, he said.
Moreover, the transport operators are carrying passengers beyond full capacity of their vehicles, causing inconveniences to the commuters, especially the ordinary ones who travel by bus as they do neither own private vehicles nor can afford to travel by costlier transport, he said.
Due to that reason, many untoward incidents, such as altercation about health rules, charging of exorbitant fares, hot exchange and scuffle, often occure between the commuters and transport workers, including drivers, helpers and ticketchekers, he added.
He called upon the government to protect the passengers interest by withdrawing its order of raising 60 per cent transport fares, issueing a new order reinstating the original fares and taking steps to stop harassment of commuters by the transport workers.
"We call upon the government to reinstate mass transport fares that were followed before the outbreak of coronavirus in the country," said Mr Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, the transport owners at a meeting recently urged the government to withdraw its order of carrying 50 per cent passengers in their vehicles and allow each vehicles to carry passengers at its full capacity, citing that they have been suffering financial losses due to sharp fall in numbers of passengers during the pandemic.

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