Passengers will have to pay an additional Tk832.30 crore in extra fares, known as "Eid tips," during Eid-ul-Fitr travel, according to a report by the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association.
x. The report estimates that around 22.74 crore trips will take place across road, rail, water, and air transport between 20 March and 31 March.
At a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity on 26 March, the organisation’s Secretary-General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury presented the findings. He stated that approximately 1.5 crore people would leave Dhaka for their hometowns during Eid.
Despite monitoring committees and government efforts to ensure smooth and safe travel, fare exploitation remains widespread. The report found that 98% of public transport services overcharge passengers, even though transport staff already receive salaries and Eid bonuses from daily fare collections.
Several factors contribute to this overcharging, including rising commodity prices, bribery in the transport sector, additional costs imposed by companies, and transport owners seeking excessive profits.
The study indicates that water transport will carry the highest number of passengers, with around 40 lakh people expected to travel via 200 vessels from Sadarghat, Narayanganj River Port, and other terminals.
To prevent fare exploitation, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury suggested implementing digital fare collection to eliminate cash transactions, installing CCTV cameras on highways, and enforcing strict laws against overcharging. Without action, he warned that excessive fares could lead to economic hardship, social unrest, corruption, and increased road accidents, especially impacting low-income passengers.
