The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has issued a directive, warning that drivers of gas or petrol-powered auto-rickshaws will face legal action if they charge passengers more than the government-set meter fare.
This directive was outlined in a letter signed by BRTA Director (Engineering), Shitangshu Shekhar Biswas, on Monday (February 10), and the letter was sent to the Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
The letter specifies that drivers of 4-stroke, three-wheeler auto-rickshaws, powered by gas or petrol, are prohibited from collecting fares higher than what is displayed on the meter as per government regulations.
Charging more than the metered rate would be considered a violation of Section 35(3) of the Road Transport Act 2018.
As per this law, the owner or driver of any contract carriage must provide transportation to any destination within the permitted route and cannot demand or collect more than the metered fare.
Any driver found breaching this rule will face consequences under Section 81 of the Road Transport Act 2018.
This section states that drivers who overcharge passengers can be penalized with a prison sentence of up to six months, a fine of up to 50,000 Taka, or both.
Additionally, one penalty point will be deducted from the driver’s license.
The directive further instructs law enforcement agencies to take complaints of overcharging seriously and initiate legal cases against the involved drivers.
This initiative is expected to curb passenger harassment and eliminate unfair fare practices by CNG auto-rickshaw drivers.
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