Though the price of Petroleum fuel has been decreased, owners of some 800 buses at three Interdistrict Terminals of Cumilla are still charging the same fare to the passengers. A regular altercation, even scuffling between the long distance passengers is seen to occur at the bus Ticket Counters in question of realising an exorbitant bus fare. The bus drivers and the supervisors informed they have nothing to do if the owners of the buses do not decrease the bus fare.
It is learnt, the decision to decrease the bus fare was taken at a meeting held at BRTA head Office on April 1. Accordingly, the fare of long route buses was decreased to Tk 2.00 from Tk 2.15 per kilometre. The price of diesel was refixed at 106, Petrol at Tk 122 and Octane at Tk 126 per litre recently by the government.
But, the bus owners were not maintaining the government-fixed fare rather they were charging the same fare as they were charging earlier.
As a result, there are regular incidents of altercation and even scuffling between the passengers and the Bus Ticket countermen.
Eng Faruk Alam, Assistant Director of BRTA in this connection informed, the BRTA has sent a notification to the bus owners and the presidents and secretaries of different bus owners associations and president and general secretaries of bus terminals of the district refixing the bus fare by the government.