Bus fare hike rates to be decided this evening
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Following a sharp Tk 20 per liter increase in fuel prices, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is meeting this evening (Monday) to make upward adjustments to bus fares.
Representatives from bus owners, workers, and all relevant stakeholders will attend the meeting at the BRTA's Banani office. The main focus of the discussion will be adjusting bus fares in line with the new fuel prices.
These details were gathered from conversations with transport owner association leaders and BRTA officials.
Earlier on Sunday night, the government announced a Tk 20 per liter price increase across four types of fuel. Under the new rates, diesel is set at Tk 135 per liter, kerosene at Tk 155, octane at Tk 165, and petrol at Tk 160. The updated prices came into effect today, Monday.
Among these, diesel—which powers most public transport, including buses—rose from Tk 115 to Tk 135 per liter, directly increasing transport fuel costs by Tk 20 per liter.
BRTA sources indicated that the meeting will review proposals to adjust fares based on updated operating costs and fuel expenses. Separate calculations may be considered for long-distance routes, metropolitan areas, and other bus categories. However, the exact per-kilometer fare increase will depend on the discussions and proposals submitted during the meeting.
The most recent adjustment to bus fares due to fuel price hikes occurred in April of this year. At that time, the government raised diesel prices by Tk 15 per liter to Tk 115, while octane went up by Tk 20, petrol by Tk 19, and kerosene by Tk 18. Following a meeting with relevant parties, BRTA's fare fixation committee recommended an upward revision.
According to the gazette notification issued on April 23, long-distance bus fares were increased from Tk 2.12 to Tk 2.23 per kilometer. For city buses in Dhaka and Chattogram, the fare was raised from Tk 2.42 to Tk 2.53 per kilometer, while minibus fares in the DTCA area rose from Tk 2.32 to Tk 2.43 per kilometer. This represented a uniform increase of 11 poisha per kilometer for long-distance and metropolitan buses.
However, bus fares have not always increased every time fuel prices changed. In August 2022, when diesel jumped from Tk 80 to Tk 114 per liter, long-distance bus fares were increased by 40 poisha per kilometer, and city bus fares by 35 poisha. Later, when diesel was reduced by Tk 5, fares were lowered on August 31 from Tk 2.20 to Tk 2.15 per kilometer for long-distance routes, and from Tk 2.50 to Tk 2.45 per kilometer for Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan buses.
Similarly, in April 2024, when diesel prices were cut by Tk 3 per liter, BRTA recommended a 3-poisha per kilometer fare reduction for diesel-run long-distance and city buses.
This time, however, the situation is different. Diesel prices have surged by another Tk 20 per liter compared to April. As a result, transport owners are expected to press for a fare hike citing increased operational costs, while the potential financial burden on commuters will also be a major point of discussion.
Ultimately, today's BRTA meeting will determine how much the per-kilometer bus fare will increase following the latest fuel price hike. The final decision will move forward once the committee submits its recommendations.
