Operation cost rises by 70%, say bus owners; want fare readjusted

As a government committee will sit today (August 6, 2022) for re-fixing the bus fare, transport owners have demanded to consider not only the fuel price hike but also the increase in the prices of spare parts.

They said six items of the spare parts saw 27.55 percent hike on average -- compared to 2020 --, in addition to the 42.50 percent hike in fuel price announced yesterday, rising the operation cost by 70.05 percent.

Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, today wrote a letter to the chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) today for re-fixing the bus fare, considering all these issues.

Asked whether they were seeking 70 percent hike of bus fare, Enayet Ullah said, "We have placed the real scenario. Now the costing committee will take decision in this regard."

"We didn't place any specific demand for bus fare hike," he told The Daily Star today.

In November last year, the authorities increased bus fare by as much as 28 percent after the government made 23 percent hike in diesel and kerosene prices.

The authorities had increased the bus fare in November adjusting all these issues, including the price of spare parts.

But again, the association, in today's letter, gave a comparison between the hike of six spare parts including tyres, lubricant and filters in 2020 and 2022.

Asked why they are again mentioning about the 27.55 price hike in spare parts, Mahbubur Rahman, organising secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association, said the hike in spare parts taken place since November last year due to "unusual" hike in dollar price.

A top BRTA official said the record hike in fuel price left them into a tough situation.

"Bus owners will not operate buses giving losses. How much fare will we increase? We are in a tough situation," he told The Daily in condition of anonymity.

A government committee will sit today to re-fix bus fare -- a day after the fuel prices were hiked.

The meeting will start at 5pm at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) headquarters, BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder confirmed The Daily Star.