Owners, drivers want larger increase

Although a committee of the government has already proposed raising fare of CNG-run auto-rickshaws by 37 percent, owners and drivers of the three-wheelers keep pressuring the authorities concerned for more increase.

A meeting convened by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to fix the increased fare concluded yesterday without a decision due to the rigid stance of the owners and drivers regarding their demand.

According to the committee's proposal made on August 18, passengers will pay Tk 40 for travelling the first two kilometres, instead of the existing fare of Tk 25. Moreover, for every kilometre travelled after the first two, passengers will pay Tk 12 and not Tk 7.64. Waiting charge per minute will be increased to Tk 2 from the current Tk 1.40.

The drivers will have to pay Tk 850, increased from Tk 600, daily to the owners as deposit money for operating the vehicle, as per the proposal sent to the road transport and bridge ministry by the committee headed by the BRTA chairman.       

The initiative to increase the fare was taken  following government's move to hike gas price. On September 1, CNG price was increased to Tk 35 from Tk 30 per cubic metre. 

However, unhappy with the proposal, auto-rickshaw workers demanded Tk 13 for each kilometre travelled after the first two, and owners pressed for deposit money to be increased to Tk 900.  "As commodity price is high and gas price has been increased recently, we demand that the government readjust fare in accordance with reality," Hanif Khokon, general secretary, Dhaka Auto-Rickshaw Sramik Union, told The Daily Star.

Similarly, Dhaka City CNG Auto-Rickshaw Owners Association President Barkatullah Bhulu said, "It will be unjust to the owners if the deposit money is set below taka 900."

BRTA Chairman Nazrul Islam disagreed with the owners and workers and asked them to place their demand at an inter-ministerial meeting to be held next week where Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will be present, said sources. 

As per government rule, a costing committee headed by the BRTA chairman formulates a draft proposal for transport fare hike. The committee includes representatives of officials of the ministry and transport owners and workers. But no representative of passengers is kept in the committee. 

After drafting a proposal, the committee sends it to the ministry for final approval, said BRTA officials. Fare of CNG-run auto-rickshaws was last increased in 2010.