The government has issued a gazette notification on Wednesday increasing the fares of diesel-run buses and minibuses by Tk 0.17 per kilometre, with the revised rates taking effect from September 22, following a rise in diesel prices and transport operating costs.

The Road Transport and Highways Division of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry issued the gazette notification on Wednesday.

According to the notification, the fare for buses operating in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas has been raised to Tk 2.70 per passenger per kilometre from Tk 2.53.

For inter-district and long-distance bus and minibus routes, the fare was increased to Tk 2.40 per kilometre from Tk 2.23.

The fare for minibuses operating in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas, as well as buses and minibuses operating under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Gazipur and Manikganj, has been raised to Tk 2.60 per kilometre from Tk 2.43.

The minimum fare for buses in Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas remains unchanged at Tk 10, while the minimum fare for minibuses remains Tk 8.

The notification said fares would have to be proportionately recalculated if the number of seats in a bus or minibus is reduced from the number approved by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to facilitate more comfortable travel.

In such cases, the revised fare must be approved by the BRTA or the relevant Passenger and Goods Transport Committee.

The revised fares will not apply to gas-run buses and minibuses.

Transport operators have also been instructed to display fare charts prominently at visible locations inside every bus and minibus.

The government recently raised the prices of all major petroleum fuels in line with international market prices.

The prices of diesel, kerosene, octane and petrol were increased by Tk 20 per litre, with the new prices set at Tk 135, Tk 135, Tk 165 and Tk 160 respectively. The revised fuel prices took effect on Monday.

Following a meeting with transport owners, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam announced the Tk 0.17 per kilometre fare hike on Tuesday.