Govt all set to jack up fees for vehicles

GBNEWS24DESK//

The government is going to increase fees for most of the services provided by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, putting additional financial burden on private and commercial vehicle owners.

Fees for 75 services, like registering vehicles and issuance of fitness certificate, route permit, and driving licence, would be increased by up to 233 percent.

Once the decision is put into effect, which could happen within two weeks, the people will have to bear the additional expenses, transport operators have said.

The BRTA will also levy charges for nine new services, like registration of motor workshops, licence for conductors, and reviews of points on driving licences.

Charges for three services, including registration of two types of motorcycles, will remain the same, indicating the government’s favourable policy towards two-wheelers, a major reason for the rise in crashes and deaths.

The fee hike comes after the government issued the rules for Road Transport Act-2018, for which a gazette was published on December 27.

Apart from the additional fees, vehicle owners will have to pay a certain amount to a to-be-made government fund for road accident victims.

According to the rules, the owner of a bus, truck, lorry, and articulated lorry will pay Tk 1,500 a year to the fund. The amount will be Tk 750 for a minibus, minitruck, and pickup; Tk 500 for a car, SUV and microbus; and Tk 300 for a three-wheeler.

A motorcycle owner will pay a one-time Tk 1,000, read the rules.

Registration of a three-wheeler, up to 100cc, will be Tk 1,000, from the current Tk 635. All three-wheelers above 100cc will require a flat Tk 1,800 registration fee instead of Tk 1,150.