Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association has demanded an end to the anarchy of collecting extra fares and harassment of passengers during Eid journey. In a statement sent to the media on Sunday (March 23) morning, Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury made this demand.

The statement said that the anarchy of collecting extra fares has started in various transport modes on road, water and air, focusing on Eid. Although the government has said that strict measures will be taken to stop the collection of extra fares, it is clear that extra fares are being collected in various ways in different classes of buses and launches. BRTA and BIWTA have formed a vigilance team to monitor the arbitrary collection of extra fares, including only the owners of buses and launches, without passenger representatives.

In the changed situation, the toll on the roads has decreased, and passengers are deprived of the benefits because the fares have not decreased. In such a situation, additional fares ranging from 300 to 1500 taka are being collected in AC-non-AC buses on various routes from Dhaka to North Bengal this Eid. Double fares are being charged on buses on various routes from Chittagong to North Bengal. Information has been received about charging extra fares from Comilla, Noakhali, Feni, Bogra, Naogaon, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon.

Meanwhile, advance Eid tickets are being sold at extra fares on various routes in the south from Dhaka’s Sadarghat port. Fare theft is going on on various domestic routes including Dhaka-Saidpur, Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar, Dhaka-Chittagong by air. He demanded an immediate end to the anarchy of charging extra fares and harassment of passengers on all routes during the Eid journey.