The government has issued a gazette notification fixing half bus fares for students in all private busses (city service) running in all metropolitan cities of the country.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry issued the notification in this regard on Monday.
As per the Section 34 (2) of the Road Transport Act 2018, the half bus fares were fixed for students in city busses on five conditions, considering the decisions of Road Transport Owners' Association.
The notification said it would be considered that the half bus fares came into effect in Dhaka city on December 1 and other metropolitans on December 11 last.
On November 3, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk15 per litre, prompting transport owners to enforce an indefinite strike in the country on November 7 demanding a hike in bus fares.
Also Read - Bus owners halve student fares in Dhaka in face of heated protests
Amid the woes of the public caused by the strike, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) raised the fares of city service and long-haul buses by more than 25%.
Following the fare hike, students started demonstrating on the streets of Dhaka demanding half fares in public transports.
The student protests gained traction with the added demand for road safety following the death of a Notre Dame College Student on November 24.
Since then demonstrators had been blockading different streets and intersections of the city to press home their demands.
Also Read - Half fare for students in all metropolitan areas from December 11
On November 30, after a long standoff with the government, bus owners finally agreed to cut fares by half for students travelling on buses in Dhaka city.
Students will be charged half fares from 7am to 8pm every day, excluding weekends and public holidays.
They will have to produce their ID cards provided by educational institutions to avail of the facility.
However, students rejected this decision and continued protest to implement the half bus fares at all metropolitan areas of the country.
Finally, on December 5, the bus owners association decided to allow students in all metropolitan areas, to pay half the usual bus fares.