For many city commuters, the motorcycle is the best vehicle of transport as it saves time and money. However, many bikers complain that fuel stations often refuse to sell petrol at less than Tk 200.
Such behaviour is contrary to consumer rights. People visiting the CM Station in Mohakhali see a written notice saying that the minimum purchase has to be Tk 200.
Workers say this is being done by the order of the pump authority.
Pump manager of CM Station, Md Jahangir Alam, said “Selling fuel worth Tk 50 or Tk 100 there doesn’t give us any profit; we raise the fuel using electricity and so, selling fuel for less than Tk 200 results in lossmaking.”
The Trust filling station at Bijoy Sarani has a notice indicating that the smallest order is for Tk 300 however, they sell fuel below the stipulated amount if the buyer is short of cash.
Sales officer Md Kamrul Hassan said: “There’s tremendous pressure on the station and due to a long line of motorcycles, cars cannot take fuel; in many cases, the buyer gives a Tk 1000 note after taking Tk 100 worth of fuel which only exacerbates the problem.”
A motorcycle rider says: “In many pumps, we can get fuel worth Tk 100 and that should be the rule; a consumer must be allowed to buy the amount of fuel s/he needs.”