Chaos descended on public-transport sector in the port city over a hike in fares of buses and other modes of oil-run transports as the government-set new fares came into force on Monday.
Hot exchanges and clashes between bus passengers and transport workers occurred in many areas of the city as passengers seemed unprepared to pay the increased fare and locked in altercation with conductors over the new rates.
The government raised fares of diesel-run city and long-haul buses per passenger per kilometre by 27 and 26.5 per cent respectively with effect from Monday morning following a significant hike in fuel prices.
Irked by the latest round of hikes in fuel and transport fares, passengers in the port city termed the government's decision illogical.
Taking advantage of the situation, even drivers of different other modes of transport, including CNG-run auto-rickshaws and auto-tempos, have unilaterally hiked fares in the city and its adjoining upazilas.
Talking with this correspondent, a city bus workers' leader said prices of everything, including fuel oil, have gone up, hence the fares are more.
After raising diesel and kerosene prices by Tk 15 per litre on Thursday, the government also raised launch and other watercraft fares by 35 per cent per ticket with effect from today. However, the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) has not been raised this time.
As a consequence of the government's decision, bus and diesel-run transport drivers have locked in altercations and brawls since the announcement of the fuel price hike was made on Saturday afternoon.
Locals said conductors and drivers of buses and baby-taxies (auto-rickshaws) locked clashes multiple times at the different city spots on Saturday afternoon and Monday. Although CNG prices have not been raised this time around, auto-rickshaw and Leguna, which are operated by the gas, are charging fares double, sometimes triple the rates they had charged before the diesel price was raised, city-dwellers said.
Witnesses said, passengers beat up one driver and a staff of a privately-owned bus at the city's Steel Mills Bazar over the increased fare on Monday morning.
Besides, passengers beat up transport workers in the city's Anderkillah, Bahadderhat, New Market, Muradpur areas and Potia and Hathazari upazilas in the morning, witnesses said.
Sources said, rejecting the newly-announced fares, commuters have declined to pay the enhanced fare saying they could not afford paying a minimum Tk 10 bus fare for travelling a distance as short as 1 kilometre.
Before the new rates came into effect, they had paid Tk 5 as minimum for travelling the same distance in the city and its adjoining areas.
"We can afford to spend Tk 2 to 3 more for travelling a short distance but not bear an additional travel cost of Tk 5-10 for the same distance," said Md Abdur Rahim, a bus passenger.
He also said that clashes took place at different spots in the city when bus conductors demanded increased fare from the passengers today and Saturday afternoon.
Asked to express their reaction over the new fares, a section of commuters came down heavy on the government saying that it had been working to protect the interest of transport owners, not passengers.
Talking with the FE, a passenger of a city service bus, Shahidul Alam, said, "The government has hiked fares of public transport illogically, without thinking about the already hard-pressed sections (common people) of the country."
Another passenger of an auto- tempo named Titu Barua said, "We had been paying Tk 5 as minimum fare for both buses and minibuses but now we are forced to pay Tk 10-20 as minimum fare which we just can't afford."
"CNG-run auto-rickshaws, taking advantage of the situation, continued charging two times the usual fare in the city Sunday and Monday," a CNG passenger said. In the wake of current chaotic situation, many passengers have also resorted to taking on a risky journey through rickshaws, Legunas and mini-trucks to reach their destinations.
CNG auto-rickshaws are also not taking fares as per meter from passengers in the port city. However, the law enforcers are not taking any action against these drivers who are violating the government rule by demanding exorbitant charge from passengers.
Moreover many of CNG auto-rickshaws are yet to install meters. As a result, hundreds of thousands of passengers are suffering for the high rent charged by the drivers in Chattogram. Clashes occurred between passengers and drivers over the issue in the last couple of days, said both passengers and drivers.
Sources said around 0.1 million (one lakh) CNG-run auto-rickshaws carrying passengers in the port city every day. Drivers of the three-wheelers have been demanding exorbitantly high fares from the passengers for travelling inside and outside the city. These drivers take Tk 150- 200 from a passenger for travelling only four kilometres in the city.
"A passenger has to give Tk 200 to go to Agrabad from New Market area. But, the distance of the two areas is not more than 4 km," Kazi Anwarullah, a passenger.
He alleged that drivers compel passengers to pay high rent as there is no meter of fare in the auto-rickshaws.
Dilruba Ahamed, a city-dweller said if she requests an auto-rickshaw driver to charge fare as per meter, the driver declines to take her.
nazim07@yahoo.com