Launch fares have been increased due to rising fuel prices. Launch fare has been increased by 35.29 percent. Simultaneously the ongoing launch strike has been called off.
The decision was taken at a meeting of launch owners with the government at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) office in Motijheel on Sunday (November 7) afternoon.
Launch fare has been fixed at Tk. 2.30 paisa instead of Tk. 1.60 paisa for 100 km and from Tk. 1.40 paisa for 100 km up to Tk. 2. The minimum fare per person has been increased from Tk. 18 to Tk. 30.
BIWTA Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq is presiding over the meeting. Also present at the meeting were Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Inland Navigation (JAP), Badiuzzaman Badal, Senior Vice-President, Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Secretary General of Bangladesh Launch Owners Association, Aminur Rahman, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, BIWTA officials and launch owners.
Incidentally, the owners stopped launching from noon on Saturday (November 6) as they did not take any decision to increase the fare in the context of increasing the price of diesel.
Earlier on Sunday, the fare fixing committee of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had proposed to increase the fare of long-distance buses and minibuses by an average of 27 per cent. Similarly, it has been proposed to increase the bus fare in the metropolitan area by 26.5%.
The bus owners' association has called off strike after raising fares.