Road transport owners have sought permission from the authority concerned to operate public transport at full capacity, saying that other modes of transport have already been doing so.
Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity, a platform of the transport owners, placed the demand in a letter to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) held a meeting with transport owners and workers at its office, with its Chairman Noor Mohammad Mojumder in the chair.
Malik Samity secretary general Khandaker Enayetullah and workers' leader Osman Ali were present at the meeting.
As part of the reopening the economy, the government allowed the public transport to resume their service from May 31 following health guidelines and leaving half of the seats vacant during these times of coronavirus. With the consent of the ministry, the transport operators also raised the fare by 60 per cent for the period until normalcy returns.
In favour of their demand, the Samity argued that lunches have now been operating at full capacity, even ignoring the health safety guidelines.
The secretary general of the Samity also said the increased fare would be withdrawn if public transport are allowed to carry passengers at full capacity.
The BRTA chairman told the meeting that the transport owners' demand would be placed to the ministry for placing it before the cabinet for a final decision on this matter.
smunima@yahoo.com