A double-decker bus of the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) left Nandan Park in Ashulia at 9:20am on Monday. It slowly moved towards the capital as the helper looked for passengers.

In about 15 minutes, it stopped at Zirani Bazar where about a dozen passengers got on the bus. As the vehicle was waiting for more passengers to fill its capacity, a youth came with a stick in his hand. His appearance and gesture indicated that he was known to the driver and the helper. After getting closer to the bus, the youth extended his hand towards the helper. Without wasting any time or saying anything, the helper gave him 30 bucks.

Asked, both the driver and the helper told this correspondent who was travelling on the bus, that paying money became a practice for the buses that stopped there.

"He collects money from buses regularly. He identifies himself as a representative of influential people here, but we don't know who they are," said Abu Sayeed, the helper.

Sayeed and the driver, Bipul, said they had to pay such illegal toll at three to four spots on their way to Motijheel.

Their claim proved true when the bus stopped at Savar bus stop at 10:15am. A youth came and took money from the helper when passengers were getting down and boarding the bus. This time, the amount was higher -- Tk 100.

"The man told me that their leaders asked them to collect money. Besides, he claims that a portion of the money goes to traffic cops so that police would not create any trouble," said the driver.

Contacted, Farhad Hossain, traffic inspector of Savar zone, denied the allegation that his colleagues were involved in this, but warned of tough action if anyone was found to be complicit.

However, the bus drove on and when it stopped at Gabtoli at 11:00am, a man came and quickly took Tk 30 from the helper.

"If we don't pay money at Gabtoli, we can't enter the capital. There have been several incidents when they [toll collectors] vandalised buses for refusing to pay them," the driver said.

By the time the bus reached Motijheel at 1:00pm where this correspondent got down, the helper already paid Tk 160 in extortion on the 65km route.

But this is not about just one bus on a particular route on a particular day. BRTC officials said around 20 of their buses ply the Nandan Park-Motijheel route and all the buses had to pay toll.

The officials added the state-run buses on other routes had the same experience.

BRTC Chairman Mizanur Rahman himself admitted this but expressed his helplessness.

He said they paid the toll for the safety of their buses and staff members. "If we don't pay, they vandalise buses and attack our employees."

Currently, 1,100 BRTC buses operate across the country -- about half of them in the capital and the rest in various districts.

Transport owners say transport workers' unions in different areas with the help of ruling party men are involved in the extortion.

It has reached such a level that even the state-run buses are not spared, they added.

Contacted, Leaders of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity and Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation said extortion was a commonplace across the country and that they were aided by the ruling party men and local influential people.

Asked about the allegation of collecting toll using the names of different workers' associations, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation General Secretary Osman Ali said they usually took a very small amount of money -- like Tk 20 from each bus or truck daily -- for the welfare of their fellow workers.

"But local politicians are taking a huge amount of money from different transports illegally," Osman alleged.

There is no exact figure, but a transport leader say extortionists collect about Tk 1.5 crore every day from the transport sector across the country.