Home
+
Published : 20 Apr 2026, 02:36 AM
A three-hour meeting between the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and transport stakeholders has ended without a final decision on bus fare hikes following the increase in diesel prices.
The regulatory body and representatives of bus owners and workers have shifted the responsibility to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, which is expected to issue a final directive on Monday.
BRTA Chairman Meer Ahemed Tariqul Omar said the authority would send its recommendations to the ministry in the morning.
“We could not reach a final decision. We will prepare recommendations in the morning and send them to the ministry. The ministry will finalise and may issue a notification tomorrow,” he said after the meeting.
The meeting began around 7pm on Sunday at the BRTA headquarters in Banani after diesel prices were raised by Tk 15 per litre, triggering discussions on fare adjustments.
It ended around 10pm without any agreement.
According to a participant, bus owners proposed a fare increase of 22 paisa per kilometre for both long-distance and city routes.
Currently, long-distance bus fares stand at Tk 2.12 per kilometre, while Dhaka and Chattogram city fares are Tk 2.45 per kilometre.
On Saturday night, the government raised prices of four types of fuel by Tk 15 to Tk 20 per litre, effective immediately.
Under the new rates, diesel is priced at Tk 115 per litre after a Tk 15 increase, octane at Tk 140 after a Tk 20 hike, petrol at Tk 135 after a Tk 19 rise, and kerosene at Tk 130 after an Tk 18 increase.
During the meeting, bus owners claimed that a long-distance bus travels on average 165,000km annually, with operating costs reaching Tk 75.75 per kilometre.
They said fuel costs alone account for Tk 37.10 per kilometre.
After adding 15 other cost components and assuming an average of 35 passengers per bus, the per-km cost stands at Tk 2.34 for long-distance buses.
For city buses, with an average of 40 passengers, the cost is Tk 2.49 per kilometre, according to their calculation.
Bus owners demanded revised fares based on the new fuel prices.
