‘Taxi fare re-fix on public reaction’

The government has offered to review taxi fares amid widespread criticism of exorbitant charges.

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has said fares would be re-fixed if people so want, as the present government would do nothing that hurt ordinary people.

He said this at the inaugural function of ‘the 9th Nitol-Niloy Dhaka Motor Show-2014’ at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Friday.

“I will see how the people take it (cab fare). If people don’t accept the fare, it’ll be reconsidered. We’re not inflexible about the minimum fare being fixed at Tk 100. Public interest comes first,” he said.

The minister, however, cited reasons justifying fares high.

“You will ride quality and safe vehicles; won’t you pay for this?” he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is supposed to launch a fleet of new air-conditioned taxis on April 22.

Of the 650 new vehicles, 500 will operate in capital Dhaka and the remaining 150 in the port city of Chittagong.

The fare for the new taxis was determined at an inter-ministerial meeting on March 23 on the basis of the recommendations of an expert committee of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

The meeting increased the fare to Tk 100 from Tk 60 for the first two kilometres, Tk 34 from Tk 15 for each subsequent kilometre and Tk 8.5 from Tk 5 for one-minute wait during traffic jam for air-conditioned cabs.

Nitol-Niloy Group is the sponsor of the Dhaka Motor Show-2014, which will continue till April 20 and will have some 350 stalls of vehicles, motorbikes, lubricants and different organisations of the automobile sector.

The organisers said that the exhibition was being held to introduce the country’s consumers to the automobile sector with new technologies.

President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Mohammad Shahjahan Khan, President of American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) Aftab-ul Islam and Nitol-Niloy Group Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmed also addressed the function.