Staff Correspondent:

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) on Sunday demanded an end to the anarchy of excessive fare collection and passenger harassment during Eid travel.

The organisation made the demand in a statement which reads that anarchy in releasing  extra fares from the passengers of road, river and air routes has already started.

Although the government has pledged strict action against excessive fare collection various categories of buses and launches continue to charge passengers extra through different means, the statement said.

The association’s Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury in the statement criticised the formation of vigilance teams by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), saying that these teams include only transport owners excluding passenger representatives.

Although extortion on roads has decreased transport fares have not been reduced accordingly, depriving passengers of the benefits, he said.

Passengers traveling on AC and non-AC buses from Dhaka to northern districts are being charged an additional Tk 300 to Tk 1,500.

Besides, fares for buses traveling from Chattogram to the northern region have doubled, said the statement.

Additional fare collection has been reported from passengers of Cumilla, Noakhali, Feni, Bogura, Naogaon, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon, it added.

Advance Eid tickets are being sold at inflated prices at Dhaka’s Sadarghat launch terminal for routes to the southern districts.

Airfares on domestic routes including Dhaka-Syedpur, Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar, and Dhaka-Chattogram have also seen a sharp increase.

The association urged the authorities to take immediate steps to curb fare irregularities and ensure a hassle-free journey for passengers during Eid.