Buses plying Dhaka's Mirpur route will operate under e-ticketing from Sunday (November 13, 2022). Khandkar Enayet Ullah, general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, disclosed this information at a press conference on Saturday. A total of 60 companies' buses will operate in Dhaka city from January 31, while 97 companies' buses for Dhaka and its suburbs will switch over to e-ticketing from next February 28, he said. Read more: Strike halts bus services between Dhaka and 5 southern districts ahead of BNP's Faridpur rally The rationale being pushed through this is that it will end the unequal competition in ticketing. Contractual vehicle movements will also be stopped. The third reason is to bring transport workers under a regularised payroll system.  All should come under e-ticketing, Enayet Ullah added. Read more: BRT’s move to ditch e-buses for diesel raises eyebrows

After capital Dhaka, students in all other metropolitan cities, including Chattogram, will enjoy half fare while travelling in public transport with effect from December 11. Secretary General of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association Khandaker Enayetullah came up with the announcement while speaking at a press briefing at Chattogram Press Club on Sunday. The students will enjoy the half fare from 7 am to 8 pm and they have to show their identity cards to avail of this opportunity. Read: Half bus fares for students in Dhaka metropolitan area from Wednesday However, it will not be applicable on government and weekly holidays and other holidays of educational institutions, said Khandaker. But a 50% discount will not be applicable outside cities, he added. “We’ve taken the decision to allow half fare for the students in public buses in all the cities following the demand of the students and we hope now they will go back to their respective institutions,” he added. In the face of student protests, Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association on November 30 decided that all the students in Dhaka Metropolitan area will get a 50% discount from December 1.

After the government met their demand, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association on Sunday called off the indefinite transport strike it enforced on Friday in protest against the fuel price hike and demanding increased bus fares. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has increased the fares for intra-city and inter-district buses by 26.5% and 27% respectively following the demand of the bus owners. The decision came at a meeting between the BRTA and the bus owners today (Sunday). Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, said the strike was called off today. "We've also instructed the owners to operate the bus from today." Read: Transport strike enters 3rd day, badly affects normal life From now on, the fare for inter-district buses will be Tk 1.8 per km with a 27% hike which was Tk 1.42 per km. The fare for intra-city buses would be Tk 2.15 per km – an increase from Tk1.70 -- with a 26.5% hike. The minimum fare would be Tk 10 for buses and Tk 8 for minibuses. BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Majumdar said, "The notification will be issued after sending the proposal to the ministry today. These new fares will be effective from tomorrow (Monday)." On Thursday, bus, truck and covered van owners called an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday in protest against fuel price hike. Convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council Md Rustom Ali announced their decision on Thursday following an emergency meeting of the organization. Leaders of the organization said the government raised the toll of Bangabandhu Bridge and Muktarpur Bridge from 257 per cent to 300 per cent “illogically” on November 2 and then it raised the prices of fuel, said a press release. Transport movement had remained suspended for a long time due to Covid in the last two years. When the transport owners are trying to make a turnaround from their huge losses caused by Covid shutdown, the decision of raising bridge toll and fuel price was announced, they added.