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Passengers at the mercy of taxi drivers

FAIZUL KHAN TANIM
Passengers who arrive at Kamlapur Railway Station have complained of harassment by CNG-autorickshaw and cab drivers. The common complaint is that the drivers demand a negotiated rate rather than going by the meter.
"In the past I used to worry about baggage getting lost or snatched by miscreants. But now the only worry is the hassle with taxi drivers," said Salim Miah, a businessman of Gulshan who travels to and from Chittagong every week.
"The drivers charge at will and that rate is usually at least three times more than the normal fare. And you do not have a choice. All the drivers who wait at the station are the same."
"The problem is most visible on Thursdays,
the busiest day of all," said MS Chowdhury, station master of Kamlapur Railway station.
To compound the misery of the general public, CNG-autorickshaws or cabs coming to the station are prevented from taking passengers by a group of drivers. This group virtually forces passengers into hiring transports waiting in a queue at the station. Some 50 taxicabs and CNG-autorickshaws are available in front of the station according to sources.
The drivers who are fortunate enough to get a spot in the queue, claimed that they had to pay a certain amount in parking fees and that is why they discourage incoming vehicles from picking passengers.
"There is a parking fee of Tk 5. So if any cab or CNG autorickshaw wants to take passengers, it has to pay the fees or should wait in a line," said one driver.
The divisional commercial officer of Ban-
gladesh Railway, Sardar Shahadat Ali claimed that taxicabs no longer had to pay any parking fee. "Earlier, the parking space had been leased to private companies but following some disagreements, that system had been discontinued. CNG-autorickshaws, however, still pay parking fees."
Shahabuddin, driver of an autorickshaw, tried to justify the negotiated rate saying that the daily deposit to owners had been increased to Tk 550 and that is why they preferred a contract-based rate instead of going by the meter.
Other drivers however claimed that they only negotiate the rate with passengers if the destination is too close.
Assistant commercial officer of Bangladesh Railway MA Jinnah said that almost 10 thousand passengers use the station everyday and that is why it was difficult to monitor the problems related to taxi fare.