The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority will launch a crackdown in the Dhaka city after Eid on the drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and taxicabs for charging extra fare and refusal to go desired destinations.
'We will launch a weeklong crackdown after Eid on the CNG-run auto-rickshaw and taxicab drivers as they continue to charge extra fare and refuse to go to desired destinations, the BRTA chairman said..
The BRTA authorities have taken the tougher decision as its mobile court has failed to control the CNG auto-rickshaws and taxicab drivers, BRTA chairman ABM Shahjahan said.
'We will launch a weeklong crackdown after Eid on the CNG-run auto-rickshaw and taxicab drivers as they continue to charge extra fare and refuse to go to desired destinations, he added.
The city will be divided into four to six zones to conduct the drive, he said, adding that BRTA officials, mobile courts and the joint forces would be involved in it.
'There is no other ways left to check the whims of the drivers of the three wheelers and taxicabs as they have gone out of control. They still charge additional fare and refuse to go desired destinations although the government has increased the fare of CNG auto-rickshaws,' the BRTA chief said.
The BRTA-run mobile courts have failed to check the whims of drivers even after sentencing a good many drivers to jail and imposing fine on, he added.
At least 20 drivers mostly of CNG-run auto-rickshaws have been jailed in the last few months and a good many fined and route permit of seven three-wheelers has been temporarily cancelled but still the drivers remain unbridled.
The past BNP-led alliance government introduced the meter fare for four-stroke CNG auto-rickshaws and taxicabs in the capital after phasing out two-stroke three-wheelers responsible for air pollution.
The drivers of CNG auto-rickshaws and taxicabs are obliged to go to the desired destinations of the passengers as they are committed to follow the passengers' instructions while obtaining the route permit.
But still they refuse to go to short distances and charge extra fare to the passengers. Even in some cases, they refuse to go to long distances. In the long-distance journey, the drivers often demand
Tk 10 to Tk 20 more
than the actual fare the meter reads and sometimes they make contract with passengers.
In April this year, the government revised the fare of CNG auto-rickshaws upwards with effect from May 1 with a commitment from the drivers and owners that they will go to passengers' desired destinations and never claim extra fare.
According to the revised chart fixed by the government, fare for the first two kilometres has been raised to Tk 13.50 from Tk 12 and for the subsequent kilometres it has fixed at Tk 5.5 against Tk 5.
The minimum fare for short distance was fixed at Tk 15 and daily deposit for owners was increased to Tk 450 from Tk 300.
According to BRTA sources, around 13,000 CNG auto-rickshaw and 10,000 taxicabs ply the city streets.
