Less than two months after the new metered-fare system was introduced in the capital, most CNG-run autorickshaw drivers are back to not following the fare system set by the government.
The government had increased the fare of CNG-run autorickshaws on September 10 which came into effect on November 1, with recalibrated meters installed in the autorickshaws.
Autorickshaw drivers initially followed the government order, but with time, most of them have gone back to the old ways.
According a study of Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association (BPWA), after the new fare system was introduced, almost 60% autorickshaw drivers charged fare by the meter in the first week of November, but the majority of them asked for a tip of Tk10-30.
However, in the first week of December, the study found that only 34% of the drivers surveyed agreed to charge fare by the meter.
“We surveyed 760 autorickshaws drivers in November, and 1,756 drivers in December,” said Mozammel Haque, secretary general of the BPWA.
“Most drivers are not following the government-approved metered-fare system; they are overcharging their passengers. This situation has risen again due to the lack of monitoring by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). The sufferings of the passengers continue.”
This reporter went to the Panthapath-Green Road intersection yesterday and, posing as a passenger, tried to hire 10 CNG-run autorickshaws; only three drivers agreed to go following the metered-fare system, while seven refused.
Rafiqul Islam, one of the drivers, agreed to follow the metered-fare system, but asked for an extra Tk20 as tips.
When asked why, he said: “I will have tea with it, if you don’t mind.”
Aslamuddin, another driver, said he would only go after agreeing to a fare because his meter was out of order.
When asked why he has not fixed his meter yet, he said: “The owner is not fixing it.”
Nayeb Ali, another driver, said: “I have been taking passengers without the meter because the owner of this autorickshaw demands extra money for deposits than the rate fixed by the government.”
The daily deposit auto-rickshaw drivers pay vehicle owners has been fixed at Tk900 by the government.
“Many autorickshaw owners are earning almost double by charging extra deposits. We have filed a complaint with the BRTA in, but they have not taken any action yet,” said Mohammad Hanif, general secretary of Bangladesh CNG Autorickshaw Workers’ Union.
Barkat Ullah Bulo, convener of Dhaka Autorickshaw Owners’ Association, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have already found that a number of owners are taking extra deposits. But the number of such owners is not more than 100. They will be punished soon by the authorities concerned.”
BRTA Secretary Shawkat Ali said: “Mobile courts are still working against illegal fare charging in the city. Those who are charging extra fare will be duly punished.”
