Around 98 percent passengers of public transport in Dhaka city are having to pay extra fares during the month of Ramadan, said a survey of a passengers’ platform.

Around 68 percent bus passengers are forced to get on or off from moving buses, while 36 percent passengers have to stand inside bus even after paying for “seating service”.

Around 95 percent passengers face sufferings in public transport regularly and 90 percent of them express discontent over the situation, it said.

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity prepared the report after its three teams visited many key areas of the city in the last seven days, and talked to passengers and drivers.

The organisation revealed the report through a press release yesterday. It said about 97 percent of city buses and minibuses have been operating so-called “seating services” by closing doors between 3pm and 6:30pm since the beginning of Ramadan.

As a result, passengers waiting at different stoppages in the middle of the route, fall victims to this anarchy, it said.

The association alleged that bus operators have targeted passengers who are in a hurry to reach home before iftar, and collect extra from them. The buses also charge extra from passengers defying the government-set fare rates, it said.

Only some companies and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation run buses as usual, and follow government-set fare chart with passengers crammed into those buses.

The organisation said almost all CNG-run auto-rickshaws are running under contractual fares, and take three to four times more than the fare showed on meters.

Besides, 93 percent CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers refuse to go to passengers’ desired destinations.

The report says motorcyclists -- running under ridesharing services -- also resort to verbal contracts after 4pm instead of app-set fare, and charge three to four times more. Ninety-three percent passengers do not know where to lodge complaints while 90 percent think there will be no use of complaints, it said.