Just the other day, we talked about the highway safety concerns and traffic hassles leading into the extended Eid holiday. An estimated 1.5 crore people may leave Dhaka for their hometowns by Eid day, with similar movements expected nationwide. Amid this massive exodus, one problem that can rival the severity of other travel challenges is the widespread fare irregularities across various transport sectors. According to an estimate by Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, 98 percent of transport operators are overcharging passengers in the name of "Eid tips." This extortion—which may total a staggering Tk 832.30 crore—is an unfair burden neither deserved by travellers nor expected under the interim government, exposing the failure of existing oversight mechanisms.

Jatri Kalyan Samity has also presented figures for how much would be extorted through each mode of transportation, with long-distance buses and minibuses taking Tk 90 crore extra from 30 lakh passengers and city buses taking Tk 12 crore extra from 40 lakh trips. Between March 20 and 31, it says, approximately 22.74 crore trips are expected across road, rail, water, and air transport in and around Dhaka for Eid-related purposes. On average, an extra Tk 200 is being charged per passenger. These findings are consistent with our own, with a report published on Wednesday highlighting the miseries of passengers on AC buses.

As per the report, passengers travelling on AC buses, with the exception of a few, are having to pay more than usual. After visiting various ticket counters and talking to passengers at Sayedabad and Arambagh bus terminals, our correspondents found that the extra fares being charged range from Tk 200 to Tk 1,000. Although the fare hike is not as steep for non-AC buses, most operators, particularly lesser-known ones, are overcharging by taking advantage of the Eid rush. According to the Road Transport Act, 2018, the BRTA is responsible for determining fares for public transport with government approval. Although AC coaches and public transport with special amenities are exempt from this regulation, the authorities can still regulate fares if there are allegations of overpricing—something they have not done.

All this shows how unregulated, and unmonitored, Eid fare practices remain. Several factors have been attributed to this, including inflation, a culture of extortion in transport sector, employee Eid bonuses, and owners' profit motives. While this trend has persisted for years, this year it prompted a sense of heartbreak with one passenger saying, "I thought things would be different this time given that a new government came to power following a mass uprising." The government must take stern action to prevent these irregularities. As experts have recommended, it should introduce digital fare collection for better control, use CCTV for fare monitoring, and improve transport governance in general.