Bus
Owners demand 60% fare hike to operate bus at half capacity in Ctg
Bus owners in Chattogram on Thursday demanded a 60 per cent hike in fare to run buses at their half capacities as per the government’s instruction to fight off Covid.
“If we have to operate buses keeping 50 per cent seats empty, we want the fare raised by 60 per cent like the previous time,” said Belayet Hossain, General Secretary of Chattogram Metropolitan Bus Owner’s Group.
Though the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) said the directive will be effective from Saturday but bus owners in Chattogram will take decision in this regard after a meeting on it that day, he said.
Monjurul Alam Monju, General Secretary of Chattogram Road Transport Owner’s Group said, “Although the owners incurred losses they carried 50 per cent with 60 per cent increased fare during the lockdown following the government’s instruction.”
If the government wants the bus owners to follow the health guidelines fare need to be raised, otherwise, it will become impossible to operate buses, he said.
Read: Buses to operate with 50% passengers at same fare: BRTA
On Wednesday, BRTA said buses will operate at half of their capacities from Saturday and at the previous fare.
The decision was taken at a meeting with the leaders of transport owners and workers.
Meanwhile, the leaders of transport owners and workers demanded the government allow them operate buses at their full capacities maintaining proper health protocols as flights are allowed to operate at 100 per cent of their capacities.
The buses will not carry passengers beyond the number of seats in a bus, they said.
The BRTA director said a recommendation will be submitted to the cabinet on Thursday in this regard.
On Monday, the government imposed restrictions on public movement and other activities like operating public transport at their half capacities amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus.
Read: Jatri Kalyan Samity demands withdrawal of increased bus fares
On November 3, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 per litre, prompting the transporters to enforce an indefinite strike in the country on November 7 demanding a hike in bus fares.
Amid the worsening public woes caused by the transport strike, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) raised the bus fares of intra-city and inter-district buses by 26.5% and 27%, respectively.
Two die as passenger bus overturns in Dhaka
Two persons were killed and another three injured when a bus overturned in the city’s Gulistan Murgipotti area on Saturday morning.
The identities of the deceased could not be ascertained yet, said fire service sources.
The accident occurred as the driver of the speeding passenger bus lost control of the vehicle, leaving two passengers dead and three others injured.
READ: Two die in hit-and-run accident in Jashore
Deputy Assistant Director (media cell) at Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, Md Shahjahan Sikder said around 9.45 am members of fire service rushed to the spot.
"The bodies have been handed over to the police. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital," he added.READ: Mother, son killed in Pabna road accident
1 killed, 40 injured as bus falls into ditch in Magura
A speeding bus plunged into a roadside ditch in Magura on Sunday, killing a bicyclist and injuring 40 of its passengers, police said.
Yakub Ali, 55, of Rahimpur village of Magura sadar upazila, was on bicycle when the bus lost control and hit him before falling into the ditch along Magura-Jashore highway. He died instantly, said Tarak Nath Biswas, officer-in-charge (OC) of Shalikha Police Station.
The injured were sent to a nearby hospital.
Also read: 2 killed in Natore road accidents
Morkaram Hossain, sub-inspector (SI) of Sadar's Ichali Police Camp, said the bus driver and helper escaped soon after the accident. However, the bus was seized.
Steps are underway to take legal action in this regard, the SI added.
Also read: 8-yr-old girl killed in Dinajpur road accident
4 killed, 19 injured in Sirajganj bus crash
Four people were killed and 19 others injured as a bus overturned on a three-wheeler at Salanga on Hatikumrul-Bonpara highway of Sirajganj district.
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Hatikumrul Highway Police Lutfar Rahman said the bus on its way to Dhaka from Rajshahi lost control near Goja Bridge on the highway around 10 am and hit the battery-run van.
READ: School teacher killed in Cox’s Bazar road crash
He said four van passengers, including a woman, were killed on the spot and 19 others injured, three critically.
The deceased could not be identified yet, the OC said.
READ: 2 killed in Chattogram road crash
Much-hyped ‘Dhaka Nagar Paribahan’ rolled out
The government has finally launched the ‘Dhaka Nagar Paribahan’ under bus route rationalisation programme of the two Dhaka city corporations on trial basis, aiming to streamline the public transport sector and reduce traffic jams in Dhaka. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated the bus services on Ghatarcha-Kanchpur route virtually from the secretariat on Sunday. While inaugurating the bus service, the minister said all kinds of necessary assistance will be provided to develop a disciplined and modern public transport system for the people living in Dhaka. “I was in a hospital for 12 days and today I’ve been discharged from the hospital. Instead of going back home from the hospital, I came here considering its importance,” he said. At the initial stage, 50 buses will be operated on the route which will be elevated to 100 in phases. The entire city will get the service in 2023.
READ: Bus services resume in parts of Chattogram city
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam were present. In fact, Dhaka and its outskirts today account for more private vehicles than any other city in Bangladesh. The reason behind this unbridled rise in the number of private vehicles can be attributed to the lack of a robust public transport system. Also, most of the buses that ply in Dhaka are "unfit".
3 killed, 9 injured as train ploughs into bus, auto-rickshaws in Ctg
Three people, including a policeman, were killed and nine others injured when a speeding train hit a bus and two auto-rickshaws at a railway level crossing in the port city of Chattogram Saturday morning.
Witnesses said the train was approaching towards Chattogram rail station from Najirhat around 10:30 am and different vehicles were waiting on both sides of Jhautala level crossing when the train approaching.
The accident occurred as the bus tried to drive through the level-crossing hitting two auto-rickshaws from behind and dragged those onto the level crossing.
Sarwar Alam, officer-in-charge (OC) of the Chattogram Railway Police, said the train crashed into the bus and the two auto-rickshaws.
Read: Road crashes in Bangladesh claim 413 lives in Nov: Report
"Two people were killed on the spot. And the 10 injured have been admitted to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH)," the OC said.
The train was a diesel-electric multiple unit one, he added.
Another injured man died at the CMCH around 4:45 pm, said inspector (investigation) of Pachanlaish Police Station Sadiqur Rahman.
The deceased were identified as police constable (Traffic North) Monir Hossian of Noakhali district, Bahauddin Ahmed, an engineer of Dhali Constructions and Sazzad,19, a college student.
Meanwhile, a three-member panel, headed by Additional Superintendent of Chattogram Railway Mohammad Abdul Gafur, was formed to look into the incident, said Hasan Chowdhury, assistant superintendent of Chattogram Railway Police.
Shaheda, a witness, said the gateman of the level-crossing was found sitting in an adjacent shop when the accident occurred.
Read: Tajik engineer killed in Pabna accident
Train accidents in Bangladesh
Train accidents are common in Bangladesh, many at unmanned level crossings and some due to the poor condition of tracks.
According to data provided by the Bangladesh Railway, in August 2019, only 466 gates of its 1,412 level crossings have gatemen.
In November 2019, a deadly collision occurred between Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita Express and Chattogram-bound Udayan Express on the Dhaka-Chattogram route near the Mandbagh railway station in Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria.
The train crash had left at least 16 people dead and over 100 others injured.
At least 113 people, including 26 women and 11 children, were killed in railway accidents between January 1 and June 30 this year, according to a July report, jointly prepared by the Green Club of Bangladesh (GCB) and the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways.
Half pass: Ctg bus owners likely to follow Dhaka's lead
In the face of massive protest, Chattogram city bus owners gave a positive signal to cut fares by half for students, following a meeting between several bus owners' associations.
Chattogram Metropolitan Bus Owners Association Secretary-General Belayet Hossain Belal revealed as much on Friday. They would announce it Sunday at a press conference, he said.
READ: Private bus owners to allow half fares for students: Obaidul Quader
"We sat with the various bus owners association leaders and discussed the half fare for the students and several other issues.
READ: Students block roads again demanding road safety, half fare
The bus fare for the students at the port city would be similar to that of Dhaka, he hinted.
Demanding half bus fare in Chattogram, students from various educational institutions had been staging demonstrations for the last few days, expressing solidarity with the students of Dhaka.
Rape threat: Students give 24-hr ultimatum demanding bus helper’s arrest
Students of different colleges in Dhaka gave the authorities concerned a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest the bus staff who reportedly threatened to rape a female student.
Several hundred college students, including those of Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls College took to the streets at 10 am to press home their various demands, including the arrest of the bus helper, and put barricades at Bakshaibazar crossing, halting traffic.
They alleged that when a 2nd year student of Badrunnesa College wanted to pay half bus fare on Saturday, an assistant of a driver of a bus of ‘Thikana Paribahan’ threatened to rape her.
Also read: College students vandalise buses demanding half bus fare
Bus services resume in parts of Chattogram city
A section of bus owners resumed bus services in the port city on Sunday although the nationwide transport strike continued for the 3rd straight day.
A faction of bus owners association took the decision on Saturday.
However, passengers claimed the bus operators have doubled the fares.
Belayet Hossain, president of Chattogram Metropolitan Bus Owners Association, said, “Buses under the association are operating in the city to mitigate public sufferings.”
Admitting that the transport workers are charging double fare, Belayet said, “We resumed bus services to bring the situation under control and the situation will become normal within two or three days. We will take fare fixed by the government.”
Meanwhile, no long route buses left the terminals and many passengers were seen trying to reach their destinations by hiring CNG run auto-rickshaw paying double fare.
“We have decided to operate the bus services that are under association from Sunday," said Belayat Hossain, President of Chattogram Metropolitan Bus Owners’ Association in a note to journalists Saturday evening.
Also read: Strike to continue as transporters’ meeting with minister ends ‘inconclusively’
The peaceful strike was for decreasing fuel price or else increasing the transportation fares but some unidentified people are picketing on roads disguised as transport workers, he said.
The nationwide transport strike has seriously disrupted the movement of inbound and outbound goods-laden vehicles of Chattogram Port, bringing goods delivery almost to a halt.
On Wednesday (Nov 3), the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene to Tk 80 from Tk 65 at the retail level.
The next day, convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council Md Rustom Ali announced their decision to go on indefinite strike, following an emergency meeting.
Also read: Day 2 of bus strike: Commuters' pain is auto drivers' gain
Transporters went on an indefinite strike from Friday morning in protest against the recent fuel price hike in Bangladesh.
Strike to continue as transporters’ meeting with minister ends ‘inconclusively’
Amid the nationwide transport strike, a section of leaders of transport workers and owners met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Saturday but the meeting concluded inconclusively.
“We’ve decided to continue the strike until the decision of the fuel price hike is withdrawn or transport fare is readjusted,” said additional secretary general of Bangladesh Covered Van, Truck Owners Association Abdul Motaleb.
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters emerging from a meeting with the home minister at the latter’s residence.
Also read: Day 2 of bus strike: Commuters' pain is auto drivers' gain
“As we didn’t get any positive decision from the government regarding our demand, we’ll continue our programme. The minister may call us anytime to inform us of the Prime Minister’s decision over the issue,” Motaleb added.