Fare meters of CNG-run autorickshaws have become useless as the drivers hardly switch those on and charge exorbitant fares at their will in the city and elsewhere across the country.
The drivers of the autorickshaws refuse passengers to run the meters in response to almost every approach as well as frequently deny the passengers to go to the desired destinations.
In case the drivers agree to switch on the meters, though rare, they charge much higher than what the meters read, according to the passengers.
They alleged that the freestyle operations of the three-wheelers were created due to absence of watchdog role by the government.
Despite the fact that there are government-fixed fares, the autorickshaws are running without meters not only in Dhaka city, but almost everywhere in the country.
As per the government directives, the fares must be charged based on the meters and the drivers must agree to go to destinations wherever the passengers want to.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), their enforcement department conducts regular drives against the defiant CNG-run three-wheelers.
Leaders of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) and Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), however, alleged that the drives in the city were hardly visible. They also pointed out that the drivers were not using meters at all.
"On Thursday last, I was trying to get an autorickshaw to go to Old Dhaka from my workplace at Banani. The driver demanded Tk 500 for the ride and said he can't go on meter because it is not viable," said Abdul Karim, a businessman of Naya Bazar.
He said he had to pay the money that day though the actual fare would not have been more than Tk 300 even with the usual traffic congestion on the road.
Banker Tushar Ahmed said he often takes autorickshaws to commute between his home at Farmgate and her workplace at Baridhara. This is a very common practice of charging Tk 20-50 more than the actual fare as displayed on the meters, even if they agree to run on meters.
"In most cases, they don't switch on the meters," he added.
The passengers said the drivers often argue that the gas price was increased but the government did not re-fix the fare. The recent price hike of rice would be the most used excuse now being raised by the drivers, they said.
In November 2015, the government had revised fares of CNG-run public transports and autorickshaws plying in Dhaka and Chittagong cities.
The fare for the first two kilometres has been increased from Tk 25 to Tk 40 while Tk 12 is being charged per kilometre on the next journey, which was previously Tk 7.64. Moreover, Tk 2.0 is being charged per minute for midway waiting, which was Tk 1.04 earlier.
Liakat Ali, a driver, said that if he runs on meter, he will not be able to survive. He said he pays Tk 1,300 per day to the owner of the autorickshaw.
Halim Shah, the owner, claimed that he was not charging much - it was Tk 1,000 only per day. He denied the allegation of charging Tk 1,300.
The daily payment might seem high, but the owners would not even get their investment returned if the rent is less than the amount, he said. Md Yusub Ali Mollah, director of BRTA, admitted the irregularities in this sector.
"BRTA has been trying to fix the irregularities. We are conducting mobile courts. The BRTA is doing everything possible. But it is not possible to bring about a change in a short time," he said.
He said that complaints regarding extra fare by CNG-run autorickshaws could be filed with BRTA by calling certain phone numbers during the office hours or by visiting its website (http://brta.gov.bd). The complainants should mention their names, addresses, mobile phone numbers and registration numbers of the vehicles concerned.
CAB secretary advocate Humayun Kabir said they received a lot of complaints against BRTA that it hardly responded to the complaints.
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) secretary Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said that the CNG-run three-wheelers were charging on their sweet will. "They can't charge whatever they wish," he added.
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