Dhaka – Passenger fares for private shipping lines have increased by 7.54 percent, which operators say is to adjust operating costs after the government raised fuel oil prices earlier this week.
Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam announced the increase in waterway fares on Wednesday after a meeting with private operators in Dhaka.
He said that considering everything, including the increase in fuel oil prices and the rise in management costs, vessel owners had demanded a 15 percent fare increase.
However, considering the passengers, fares have been increased by 7.54 percent.
Additionally, the minimum fare was fixed at Tk 35, up from the existing Tk 32.
“The price of oil has increased by 17.39 percent. But in the bilateral meeting we held, it was decided to increase it by only 7.54 percent. This seemed reasonable to us. We were able to keep the fares under control,” the minister told reporters.
“Increasing fares is not desirable for us. But in the global situation, there was no alternative to increasing oil prices,” added the minister.
“Therefore, considering public suffering, we tried to increase the minimum fare. We have not given anyone the opportunity to create chaos in the name of fare increases or to act arbitrarily by taking advantage of the oil price hike,” the minister said.
Earlier, after the price of all types of fuel oil was increased by Tk 20 per liter on Sunday, private sector owners on Tuesday increased bus and minibus fares by 17 paisa per kilometer.
