Transport body denies allegations of charging excess fare during Eid journey

The Bangladesh Road Transport Owners and Workers Coordination Council has claimed that strict monitoring measures were taken to ensure safe and hassle-free travel for Eid-ul-Fitr holidaymakers and denied allegations of excessive fare collection.

In a press release, the organisation said joint monitoring initiatives were carried out by the road transport and bridges ministry, law enforcement agencies, transport owners' associations, and workers' federations at major transport hubs in Dhaka, including Gabtoli, Mohakhali, Sayedabad, Gulistan, and Fulbaria.

According to the statement, monitoring camps involving RAB, police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and officials from the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection were deployed at every terminal. Volunteers from transport owners’ and workers’ groups were also assigned to maintain discipline and prevent irregularities.

The organisation claimed that no passengers were charged extra fares. It added that whenever complaints were received about overcharging at bus counters, immediate legal action was taken. In one such case, a bus counter manager was reportedly arrested and punished.

Read More

Modi extends warm Eid greetings to PM Tarique, people of Bangladesh

The statement also alleged that false reports about excessive fares were being spread deliberately to damage the reputation of the government, administration, and transport stakeholders. It specifically criticised Mozammel Haque, an individual associated with Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, accusing him of spreading misleading information for personal publicity.

The transport bodies strongly protested what they described as false and misleading claims and said no visible public awareness activities of the mentioned organisation were found. They described it as an organisation that exists only “on paper.”

The statement was jointly signed by leaders of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association, and Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation.