There are chances of a hike in bus fares in Bangladesh after the government has hiked the price of diesel, petrol, octane, and kerosene by Tk20 per litre from September 21. The hike in fuel prices has not only raised the operating cost for transportation authorities, but there has also been contemplation by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) on fare revision.
Why could the bus fares increase?
Diesel is one of the major expenses incurred during the operation of the buses, especially on long-distance routes. According to The Business Standard, transport operators on Dhaka-Southern routes have already increased fares by Tk50 per passenger while awaiting the BRTA’s decision on fare revision. In the case of long-distance routes, the increase in the cost would be substantial. As quoted by bdnews24, the cost of running a bus on long-distance routes, like Dhaka-Sylhet or Dhaka-Chattogram, would go up to Tk 4,000 per trip owing to an increase of Tk 20 in the diesel price.
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Fuel increases are affecting more than buses
The problem is not limited to just public transport. The increase in the price of fuel is also increasing the cost for motorcycles, freight companies, agriculture, and industry. The farmers might be hit by higher costs for irrigation and transportation, while the industries and traders may suffer from increased logistics costs. It results in a chain effect where the cost of transportation increases, resulting in an increase in the cost of food and other goods, thus putting an extra burden on household budgets.
Important things to know for commuters
At this point, the commuters must first wait for the decision from the BRTA regarding the fare to make sure that all the routes get an equal rise. It is possible that the transporters try to increase the fares in order to recover their increased costs from the fuel price hike.
