Following the impact of rising fuel prices, a decision has been taken to increase passenger bus fares in the country by 17 paisa per kilometer. Fares for city buses in various cities, including the capital, as well as long-distance buses, will be increased at this rate.
The decision was made during a meeting at the Ministry of Road Transport on Tuesday (22 September).
Earlier on Monday, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had proposed increasing passenger bus fares by 20 paisa per kilometer on long-distance routes and 18 paisa per kilometer for city transport.
Last April, diesel prices were hiked by Tk 15 per liter. At that time, bus fares were increased by 11 paisa per kilometer.
Prior to the current fare hike, the bus fare in Dhaka and Chattogram metro areas was Tk 2.53 per kilometer, while the fare for minibuses was Tk 2.42 per kilometer.
For long-distance 52-seater buses, the fare was previously Tk 2.23 per kilometer. However, in many non-AC long-distance buses, the number of seats has been reduced to 40 or fewer. Fares in these buses are relatively higher, with bridge and road tolls also added to the cost.
Following the decision to increase fares by 17 paisa per kilometer, the concerned authorities will fix the new fare charts.
