Axe hangs on 25 bus operators

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has recommended scrapping the route permits of buses operated by 25 companies for repeatedly charging passengers extra fare.

In a statement on Thursday, it said that the details of the buses run by those operators have been sent to the Dhaka Metro Regional Transport Committee to initiate legal measures.

Fares of diesel-run buses were revised up by nearly 27pc following a nationwide transport strike after fuel prices were hiked.

The road transport authorities conducted mobile court drives amid allegations of buses overcharging passengers.

In the 30 days to Wednesday, as many as 1,408 city service buses in Dhaka and Chittagong were fined by Tk57.3 lakh for charging extra fares. 

The BRTA said on Thursday that the 25 bus operators, which have been violating the rules repeatedly, were identified based on reports by the executive magistrates.

The bus operators are, Basumati, Raida, Poristhan, MM Lovely, Anabil, Alif, Labbaik, Turag, Balaka, Shadhin, Projapoti, Rajanigandha, Shika, Akash, Ajmeri, Manjil, PrabhatiBanasree, Asmani, Prochesta, Victor, Midline, D.link, Rajdhani, Gulistan-Gazipur and VIP Paribahan.

The companies have been repeatedly overcharging passengers