There is an allegation that buses at the Sadarghat terminal fleece passengers by overcharging them. Though the fare from Sadarghat to Gulisthan is Tk 10 the fare taken is Tk 60.
The fare to Mirpur is Tk 40 but the passengers are paying Tk 150 while for Chittagong Road it’s Tk 120 to Tk 130.
Bus drivers say that they are forced to charge more since they also have to give money to operate on the routes. However, police say no additional money is taken from any bus driver.
It’s found that buses from Dhaka-Mohonganj, Dhaka-Dohar, Dhaka-Narsingdi also ply on the Mirpur, Tongi, Gazipur routes reportedly by paying money to the police in charge of security at Sadarghat.
For this, the subscription per car is Tk 600 to Tk 800. Each CNG also has to pay Tk 40 to Tk 60 and each rickshaw Tk 10.
Unless the money is paid, no vehicle is allowed into the Sadarghat area.
A bus driver on the route of Mirpur with Dhaka-Dohar written on the bus body, said: “I came at 4 am, got serial at 6am paying Tk 800; so tell me how much should I charge to recoup my expenses and make a profit?”
Reportedly, buses which bargain over the subscription rates have to wait long to get a serial in the queue.
A sub-inspector on duty at Sadarghat, said: “The allegation about the extra fees is not true; we do not take any additional money from bus drivers.”
State minister for shipping, Khaled Mahmud Chowdhury, observed: “It’s not the duty of the BIWTA to ensure discipline on the Sadarghat roads; the police have been informed and I am certain DMP will give it due importance.”
“If there is proof of complicity by BIWTA officials then we shall take firm measures; no corrupt person will be spared.”