Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam has warned that the route permit of any transport service will be cancelled if it charges even a single paisa more than the government-fixed rate of 17 paisa per kilometer.

He stated that charging excess fares would result in fines in accordance with the law, and the offending transport service would not be granted any route permits in the future.

He made these remarks on Tuesday afternoon (September 22) while responding to questions from journalists at a press briefing held at the Secretariat.

Explaining the rationale behind the bus fare hike amidst rising fuel prices, the Road Minister said that, according to established international and national policies, bus fares increase by one paisa per kilometer for every one-taka rise in fuel prices per liter. Based on this calculation, a 20-paisa increase per kilometer would have been justified given the 20-taka-per-liter price hike. However, after consulting with all stakeholders, the government managed to limit the increase to just 17 paisa per kilometer—an amount lower than the calculated justified rate.

He emphasized that fares cannot be raised or collected by even a single paisa above the 17-paisa limit, adding that this directive would be enforced through strict monitoring.

Responding to questions regarding fares for rail and waterways alongside road transport, the Minister mentioned that a meeting is scheduled for the day after tomorrow (Thursday) to make a final decision on train and launch fares.

Expressing his expectations regarding train fares, the Road and Bridges Minister stated that the government would make every possible effort to ensure that train fares do not increase, keeping the interests of the general public in mind.

Earlier that same day, following a meeting at the Ministry of Road Transport, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Chief Coordinator of the Central Committee of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, announced the details regarding the bus fares.

He stated that under the newly revised rates, the fare for long-distance buses will now be 2.40 taka per kilometer. Meanwhile, the fare for buses and minibuses within the Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas has been set at 2.70 taka per kilometer.