Editorial
Transport fare anarchy
No more tokenism, effective action needed
EVER since last Saturday's tragic incident in which a passenger belonging to a city hospital was pushed over a fare row by conductor of a running bus on to the street to be only fatally run over, things have hardly improved in the city transport sector. On the contrary, commotion among passengers resenting arbitrary fare hikes by transport operators has led to brawls, vandalism and loss of property.
Following the recent increase in gas price the government has refixed the fares of CNG-run buses and three-wheelers. But not only are these new rates being defied by the transport owners, they are even charging double the approved fares. They are tricking the passengers into paying more through two kinds of deception: first, the man at the counter feigns that he doesn't have the tickets of lower denominations, so that passengers are shortchanged into accepting the ticket of a higher value to be able to make his trip. Secondly, an investigative report in a prominent Bangla daily has cited several instances of passengers being charged different fares for the same distance.
This is happening in the organised segment of the private transport sector but the tale of overcharging, hardship and harassment is even more telling about the so-called local buses. The CNG-run three-wheelers and the taxis that were supposed to go by metres hardly comply with BRTA orders. The government's fixed deposit ceilings for the owners are not complied with and the drivers make much about it to demand higher fares from the passengers. These loose ends continue to fester as successive governments fearful of losing support chose to turn a blind eye.
Lately, in the face of public commotion over arbitrary fares, BRTA mobile teams conducted drives against unscrupulous transport owners, filed a total of 207 cases against vehicles overcharging as well as not having legal documents. They seized seven vehicles on charge of violating the Motor Vehicles Act. Simultaneously Dhaka Metropolitan Police filed a total of 1063 cases against vehicles allegedly violating traffic rules and for having no legal documents. Fifty-four vehicles have been seized.
This is all very good, but only seasonal and that's where lies the problem. We demonstrate energetic moves only when public rage mounts over hurting of a common interest. When the streak of public anger disappears the disparate efforts die down with the original nonchalance taking hold of the authorities. This will have to change.
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