Half fares for students: Gazette issued with 5 conditions

The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has issued a gazette notification announcing half bus fares for students subject to five conditions.

The half fare for students will be effective in all metropolitan areas in the country, according to the notification.

The gazette notification was issued Sunday following a decision of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association. 

The five conditions issued in the notification are that students will be able to pay 50% or half of the current fares. The second condition is that students, while traveling, must carry their legal identity cards issued by their respective educational institutions and show it if required.

The third condition is that the half fare service will be available from 8am to 8pm in case of private bus service.

Fourth condition states that half fare will not be applicable on educational holidays. The fifth and final condition is that this half fare will not be applicable for long distance buses.

Earlier, the students in the capital started a movement demanding half fares on buses from 1 December. 

The government raised bus fares by 27% as the transport owners kept pressuring for the rise following a 23% hike in diesel prices.

The student protest ensued following the hike demanding half fare on buses. Later the protest spread in other parts of the country.

The protest gathered space after a Notre Dame College student died being run over by a compactor vehicle of Dhaka South City Corporation. The very next day, another man died being hit by a vehicle of Dhaka North City Corporation.

In the face of the continuous student movement, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation first agreed with the students' demand followed by a similar announcement from the capital's transport owners on 30 November.

The gazette notification was issued as part of the students' 11-point demand.