Opportunist bus operators must be held accountable

We are troubled to find that our concerns of increased bus fares only adding to the sufferings of ordinary Bangladeshis, who are already struggling to cope with the aftershocks of the pandemic, have turned out to be all too true. According to a report in this daily, the government decision to raise bus fares, in light of a sudden announcement of fuel price hike that sparked countrywide strikes from transport owners and workers, have led to many operators taking advantage of the situation and charging as much as 50 percent higher fares. The government rule that the new bus fare schedule would not apply to CNG-run buses is also being flouted.

Throughout this entire period—since the announcement of the increase in fuel prices and during all the events that followed—it is the general public who have been the biggest victims of a situation that has been wholly out of their control. Transport strikes forced people to walk, pay more for expensive alternative transportation, or simply miss crucial appointments, and strikes from goods-carrying vehicles disrupted supply chains, making certain daily essentials more expensive as well. The government's solution to this state of affairs—a hike in bus fares, which includes a 28 percent hike in Dhaka and Chattogram—has been in accordance with the demands of transport associations, but has once again left the public in the lurch. 

Millions of people are already struggling to recover from the blows dealt by the pandemic, and on top of that, the prices of essential food items, such as onions and edible oil, have gone up and are unlikely to come down soon. In such a situation, how will ordinary Bangladeshis deal with higher energy prices and bus fares, especially if they are being taken advantage of and charged higher rates than the ones fixed by the government? 

A report in The Daily Star detailed how the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's (BRTA) mobile courts conducted a drive on Monday against a total of 220 vehicles, and realised Tk 1.54 lakh in fines. While we appreciate that such steps are being taken, we feel that more must be done to ensure that bus operators are held accountable, since this is not the first time that their opportunist actions have added to commuters' woes. We also hope that, going forward, the authorities will enact policies that will help the people recover from the pandemic's negative impacts, as opposed to adding to their burdens when they are already struggling.