A powerful transport syndicate has started extorting Tk 832.30 crore from over 1.5 crore Eid travellers as "tips," forcing them to pay exorbitant extra fares, according to a report by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.

The report, presented by the organisation’s Secretary-General, Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Wednesday, highlighted widespread fare irregularities across road, rail, water and air transport.

Between 20 March and 31 March, approximately 22.74 crore passenger trips will take place in Dhaka, driven by Eid shopping and travel to home districts. Of these, 1.5 crore people will leave Dhaka for their hometowns.

Despite government efforts to regulate fares, 98% of public transport operators are charging excessive amounts, the report states. Fare hikes are primarily attributed to inflation, extortion, employee Eid bonuses, and owners’ profit motives.

Besides, the absence of passenger representatives in monitoring teams has made oversight ineffective.

Breakdown of Extra Fare Collection

Road Transport

·         Long-distance buses and minibuses: Tk 90 crore extra from 30 lakh passengers (Tk 300 per passenger).

·         City buses: Tk 12 crore from 40 lakh trips (Tk 30 per passenger).

·         CNG auto-rickshaws: Tk 60 crore from 30 lakh passengers (Tk 200 per trip).

·         Battery-powered and pedal rickshaws: Tk 160 crore from 8 crore trips (Tk 20 per passenger).

·         Leguna, Duranta, Diganta (human hauliers): Tk 16 crore from 80 lakh trips (Tk 20 per passenger).

·         Ride-sharing motorcycles: Tk 250 crore from 2.5 crore trips (Tk 100 per trip).

·         Private cars, jeeps, microbuses: Tk 21 crore from 20,000 trips (Tk 3,500 per trip).

Water Transport

·         Launches and boats: Tk 80 crore extra from 40 lakh passengers (Tk 200 per passenger).

·         Ferries and river crossings: Tk 100 crore from 10 crore trips (Tk 10 per passenger).

Rail Transport

·         Train roof passengers: Tk 80 lakh from 80,000 passengers (Tk 100 bribe per passenger).

·         Passengers without tickets: Tk 7.5 crore from 2.5 lakh passengers (Tk 300 per bribe).

Air Transport

Domestic flights: Tk 35 crore from 1 lakh passengers (Tk 3,500 per passenger).

The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity emphasised that the fare hikes are exacerbating the cost of living, encouraging corruption, and increasing road accidents.

To curb these issues, it urged authorities to introduce digital fare collection, ban cash transactions, use CCTV for fare monitoring, and improve transport governance.

Press Conference Attendees

Present at the press conference were newly elected Chairman Dr Mohammad Zakaria, former Election Commission Secretary Syed Ahmad, former Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Executive Director Mahmudul Hasan Russell, and Mohammad Alauddin Masud.