Transport owners are keen to raise fares again to offset their losses as the government has imposed restrictions to check the outbreak of Omicron variant.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will hold two meetings today to decide on the fare hike. The first meeting will be held with the Road Transport and Highways Division, and the second with the transport owners and workers associations.
“Whether the bus fare will increase or not, and if increase how much it will be—all things will be decided in the meeting. Increase in bus fare is not the purpose of the meeting. BRTA will look after the public interest first,” BRTA chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said.
The government on Monday announced a set of new pandemic restrictions as fears grow over the spread of omicron and also mandated to carry coronavirus virus certificates for all drivers and assistants of trains, buses and launches.
Meanwhile, the launch owners said that till Tuesday evening they did not get any instructions from the government when the launches would start running at their half capacity.
The Bangladesh Railway on Tuesday issued a six-point directive on train services, saying that from January 15 trains would carry passengers half at their capacities to ensure social distances.
