Riddled with complaints of harassment and inconvenience from commuters, ride-sharing service Uber in Bangladesh is taking a hit in terms of reputation. Issues like failure to pick up passengers in time, transferring ride requests from passengers to other drivers, multiple cancellations of rides, exorbitant fares and not accepting bKash payments are forcing many regular users to abandon it. On September 16, this correspondent called for an Uber ride to go from Baridhara J Block to Badda. The trip got cancelled three times, and Uber charged Tk 30 from the bKash account without providing any service. Read:Uber marks 5th anniversary, pledges to curb noise pollution Jannatul Begum, who works at a private company, had to go through the same ordeal last month. One morning, she called for an Uber ride to go from Bashundhara to Paltan. Her trip got cancelled twice. The first driver had accepted her ride request but informed 30 minutes later that the trip has been cancelled due to gas shortage. The first driver then transferred Jannatul’s ride request to a second driver, who, after taking 20 minutes, informed her that he too won’t be able to make the ride. The office-goer then had to take a CNG-run three-wheeler.   “I would’ve managed some other vehicle had I known that my trip will be cancelled after confirmation. Besides, fare of an Uber trip from Bashundhara to Baitul Mukarram in Paltan is around Tk 800-900, which is very high compared to other types of rides. That’s why I’ve stopped using Uber,” Jannatul said. Read:Uber, BRTA celebrate National Road Safety Day 2021 Mehedi Hasan had been a regular user of Uber before he stopped. While talking to UNB, he discussed some issues which are behind the gradual decline of the ride-sharing service. “Nowadays, passengers can’t find Uber rides when needed. Drivers also don’t want to make the trip if they don’t like the destination. Fares have also gone up, and many drivers are unwilling to accept bKash payments though Uber has added that as an option,” Mehedi said. Asked about these issues, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Nur Mohammad Majumder told UNB that they will look into the complaints made against Uber and take legal steps if any passenger is found to have been harassed. Read Best Ridesharing Apps in Bangladesh “We had permitted Uber to operate here with a view to ease the commuting issues. In order to keep its operations running, Uber has to provide services considering the best interests of the passengers. There are certain conditions that Uber has to follow, and one of them is preventing harassment of passengers at any cost,” said Nur. About high fares, the BRTA chairman added that another condition that Uber must follow is to keep the fare reasonable. “Uber has to set the fares considering the present situation. We’ll definitely fine Uber if we receive complaints of charging excessive fares,” Nur added. Read: Uber partners with Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Contacted by UNB through its public relations agency in Bangladesh, Benchmark PR, Uber acknowledged the issues. “Long waits and driver cancelling trips fall short of our promise to deliver a magical experience to riders. We are working hard to address this and have launched a slew of new features for driver partners,” it said. It further said, “To remove frustration for riders and drivers alike, we now show trip destinations to drivers upfront before they decide to accept the ride. We are also showing drivers the mode of payment (cash or online) before the trip starts. In case of any concerns while using our platform, we also encourage our users to raise complaints through the app for timely and efficient resolution.” Read Uber Adds Auto-Rickshaws in Dhaka: Transportation Aggregation and Competition

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government has been developing a modern transport system by implementation of different projects to accelerate the country’s economic growth. “We’re developing a modern transport system,” she said while opening the 1493-metre ‘Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge’ over Kacha River at Bekutia in Pirojpur, which established the uninterrupted road connectivity between Khulna Division and Barishal Division. The premier joined the opening ceremony of the Bekutia bridge through a virtual platform from her office here in the capital. Read:PM opens Bangamata Bridge over Kacha River in Pirojpur She said her government enhanced the total length of the country’s highways to 22,000km and 718 km highways have already been upgraded into 4-lane or above-lane ones, while the works are underway to turn more than 600 km highways into 4-lane or above-lane ones. Hasina said the government is now implementing different projects including metro rail and elevated expressway projects in Dhaka, 20-km Rapid Bus Transit (project) from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Bangabandhu Tunnel under Karnaphuli River in Chattogram and 10-Lane Tongi Bridge Construction projects. “I think once these projects are completed, our economy will get further momentum,” she said. The construction work of the bridge was started on November 1 in 2018. Read Floating bridge built by school teacher ends suffering of Lalmonirhat villagers The Roads and Highways Department constructed the bridge at a cost of Tk 894.08 crore. The Chinese government provided Tk 654.80 crore as project assistance for the bridge while the Bangladesh government spent Tk 239.80 crore. The bridge also strengthened the road connectivity between Pirojpur and Dhaka. It also strengthened the road connectivity among Kuakata Sea beach, Payra deep sea port, Mongla sea port and the country's largest land port Benapole. Sheikh Hasina said it is her government’s duty to change the fate of the people in the entire country. “We’ve already advanced a long way in the journey of our socio-economic development. Bangladesh attained the status of a developing country. I think we’ll able to achieve further economic prosperity,” she said. Read Padma Bridge: Know Its Amazing Facts, Engineering Wonders She said the people of the southern region had long been deprived due to poor connectivity with the capital. The people of this region used to come to Dhaka for livelihoods by crossing several mighty rivers risking their lives and facing immense sufferings. But now the communication between Dhaka and the southern region became easier as her government constructed many bridges including Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Shikarpur-Duarika Bridge and Gabkhan Bridge, said Hasina. Noting that many other bridges are being constructed in this region, she said the people of the southern region would not be neglected anymore. Read Dickson impressed by joint efforts to construct climate-resilient infrastructure in Bangladesh About the newly opened bridge, the PM said it would help bring economic prosperity for the people of Pirojpur. “The communication between Pirojpur and Dhaka has now become very easy,” she added. The premier reiterated her call to all for boosting the food production amid the global crisis induced by the Russia-Ukraine war. “Even a single inch of land shouldn’t remain uncultivated,” she went on. The PM again urged the people to exercise austerity in the use of electricity, water and fuels during this tough time. Read European company interested to develop infrastructure in Bangladesh Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming also spoke at the opening ceremony conducted by PM’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus. Later, the premier exchanged views with the beneficiaries who participated in the two rallies on the two sides of the bridge. Fisheries and Livestock Minister, also Pirojpur-1 MP, SM Rezaul Karim was present at a rally at the west side of the bridge, while Pirojpur-2 MP Anwar Hossain Manju was present at another rally at its east side. Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Amin Ullah Nuri made a power-point presentation over the newly constructed Bangamata Bridge over Kacha River at Bekutia in Pirojpur. Read Edotco's solar street lamp project launched

The residents of capital Dhaka are expected to get a better disciplined transport system next year as buses will be brought under a franchise system by rationalising the existing routes restricting inter-district buses from entering the city.