Pandemic burned a hole in students' pockets. A bus fare hike creates the perfect storm

The hike in bus fares in response to an increase in fuel prices has driven up travel expenses for people across the board. None more so than students, who are left with little to spare now.

In the weeks following the introduction of the new rate, bus rides have been rife with altercations between passengers and operators, who have been accused of charging more than the fixed fares for different routes.

Students traditionally enjoyed a 50 percent discount on bus fares but the transport companies' refusal to grant any concession under the new structure has become a flashpoint in recent weeks, with protests flaring across the capital.

Some operators that had earlier accepted the 50 percent discount for students also stopped taking half the fares from them, citing the 23 percent rise in diesel prices.

“We’ve a right to a discounted fare. It’s been the norm for a long time so why has the concession been scrapped now?" wondered Lutfunnahar Furkan, a student of Eden College.

WHY PROTEST?

Over the past few days, street protests calling for fares to be halved for students have intensified, paralysing traffic in Dhaka. But bus operators have refused to budge and the stand-off appears set to drag on for a few more days.

Students claim their daily travel costs have doubled after the bus fares shot up but most of them do not have a source of income to cover the additional expenses. This, coupled with the rising cost of living due to the pandemic, has created the perfect storm. 

Student protesters from Mohammadpur Government College block the road in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on Monday, Nov 22, 2021 to demand that students be given a half-price discount on bus fare. Photo: Kazi Salahuddin Razu

The government on Friday announced that the fare on BRTC buses would be reduced by half from Dec 1. But the move is unlikely to alleviate the plight of most students as these buses only account for a small proportion of public transports.

Lutfunnahar is now paying Tk 26 to get to her college in Azimpur from her home in Mirpur 1. While the fare should be Tk 21 under the new scheme, bus conductors are charging Tk 5 extra, she says.

She has to pay Tk 20 just to reach the bus stop from her house and altogether, she spends Tk 92 every day to travel to and from her college.

Prior to the hike, the fare was Tk 20 but she would only pay half of that in line with the discount for students. Now, students are no longer entitled to such a facility.

“Once the new fare chart was adopted, they (bus staff) have stopped accepting half fare and misbehave with us if we ask for the discount. We have no income and it becomes very hard for everyone to pay Tk 80-100 per day for bus rides,” she said.

While the protests may hamper daily life in the city, there is precedent for such student movements to demand discounted fares on public transports. During the Pakistan rule in 1969, the leaders of Chhatra Sangram Parishad had placed the issue at the forefront of their 11-point demand.

It called for students to be given a 50 percent concession on ‘train, steamer, and launch’ tickets upon showing their ID cards.

It also included a demand to allow students to ‘travel to any place in the city by paying 10 paisa’ and a ‘50 percent concession’ for long-haul travel as had been the case in West Pakistan.

Speaking as a guest at Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association’s council on Thursday, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader urged the bus owners to consider the student demands.

“Students all over the world get a concession on public transport fares. Even we enjoyed a discount while we were students during the Pakistan rule,” he said.

The government is also thinking about drawing up a "logical" fare chart for students, he added.

Students get to pay discounted fares in neighbouring countries like India, Nepal and other South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka. In some places, they can travel for free.

The BRTA had sat with representatives of the police, transport owners and workers on the demand for reduced bus fares for students. But the meeting ended without a definitive decision amid opposition from the owners.

In another twist, the death of Notre Dame College student Nayeem Hasan in an accident with a city corporation garbage truck stoked the anger of the student protesters.

They ended the day-long demonstrations in Dhaka on Thursday with the promise of returning to the streets once more unless their demands were met by Saturday.

Dhaka College student Tamim Iqbal, the spokesman for the protesters, cited the frequent confrontations between them and bus staff over discounted fares as one of the main triggers for their pouring out onto the streets.

Although he lives in the college hostel, Tamim has to travel to Mirpur-11 five times a week to work as a private tutor. The bus fare was Tk 26 before and he would pay only half of it. Now, the bus operators are charging Tk 32 on the same route, even though the fare is unchanged in the new chart.

“I tutor others and manage my expenses with those earnings. It becomes quite hard if I’ve to spend more than Tk 60 per day on travel. It adds up to Tk 1,200 per month while I earn Tk 3,500 from my job. What’s the point of going through all this trouble then?”

The skyrocketing living costs amid the coronavirus pandemic along with the increase in bus fares have compounded students' woes, according to him.

“I’d two tuition jobs but now I'm left with just one due to the pandemic. Prices of essentials have soared but my income hasn’t increased. Many of my friends are not getting any tuition jobs. They’re living inhumane lives. We’re fighting for all of them by demanding that the fares be halved.”

Ikram Hossain, another student of Dhaka College, called into question the decision to set the minimum fare at Tk 10 under the new structure.

"We travel mostly to Nilkhet or Azimpur from college. The fare shouldn't be more than Tk 5 for such a short trip, but they're charging Tk 10."

"I spend around Tk 100 on transport fares each day. As I need to travel by bus, the amount becomes quite high at the end of the month. Sometimes, we don't even eat anything outside to cut down on expenses," said Farazana Akter, a student of Badrunnessa Government Girls College in Bakshibazar.

"We can buy some food if we save a little by paying half fare on buses. We don't come from affluent families nor do we have any source of earning. We feel quite bad about taking money from our parents. The government should consider all these things before making a decision," she added.

Merian Binte Masud, a student of Government Kabi Nazrul College needs to travel to Sadarghat from her home in Jhigatala via Gulistan everyday.

The fare from Jhigatala to Gulistan used to be Tk 15 with the 50 percent discount for students.

"Now they’re charging Tk 40 even though the new fare chart fixed the rate at Tk 11. Who will make them understand our plight?"

"Everyone doesn't have the same earning capacity and some people have family crises as well. Most of the students stay in hostels, which comes with its own expenses. All this leaves us with very little money at the end of the month. That's why we're a bit unsettled by the increased fare," Merian explained.

There is a silver lining for the students of Jagannath University amid the gloom. The university has struck an agreement with the bus operators on the routes to the institution to let its students travel with the minimum fare at Tk 5.

However, Maksudur Rahman, a student of the university and a resident of Matikata area, said that students are being charged “unfairly” while boarding buses on other routes.

“None of the bus operators on the ECB route are following the chart for fares. They have increased the number of checkers despite the decision on halting waybills,” Maksudur said.

“We have to pay twice as much in fares compared with the past because of this. They used to charge excessively earlier and are taking more now on the excuse of increased fares. It’s been a torture on us. But no one cares.”

Parents also believe that it is logical for students to pay fares with a 50 percent discount.

“We paid half the fares when we’re students. It’s not a new thing. It is a right of students,” said Arafat Molla, the father of a student of Notre Dame College.

“It wouldn’t be right for us to strip students of this right. Many families are going through financial hardship. They’re already struggling to finance their children’s studies. It will be an additional burden on them if students have to pay such high fares every day,” he said.

Abdul Huq works in a private firm and has three college-going children. He questioned the hike in fares when the salaries of private executives have not increased.  “Prices of everything have been soaring. But how much are private company workers like us getting paid?”

“We’d to pay for our children’s education during the pandemic when we faced the threat of losing our job. We’re running our families somehow, although our salaries have been reduced. Now the half-fare issue is creating a new crisis,” Huq said.

“We’re sending our children for education. But they’re protesting on the streets over demands. A swift solution is necessary.”