• There is a lot of uncertainty in terms of business.
• CRAZ does not see any logic for operators to start talking about adjusting the bus fares.
• Most people are still on the same salary scale while business is tough even for the bus operators.
Commuter Rights Association of Zambia (CRAZ) says there will be no adjustment in bus fares for March 2023, following the hike in petrol price by K1.30 ngwee per litre.
Speaking to Money FM News, Association President Aaron Kamuti said the Association does not see any logic for operators to start talking about adjusting the bus fares because the fares were increased three weeks ago and commuters have not yet recovered from that effect.
Mr. Kamuti stated that most people are still on the same salary scale while business is tough even for the bus operators, therefore increasing bus fares will not be ideal.
“We know that every month we anticipate the adjustment of fuel pump price either upwards or downwards and this has brought anxiety among the stakeholders and also there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of business because we cannot predict what is coming.”
“We know that bus operators are in business, and now the confusion that will be there is that we have just seen the increment in the price of petrol and they have not touched the price of diesel and most of these buses use diesel. That is total confusion now. We don’t see any logic for operators to start talking about adjusting the bus fares because we are just coming from that background,” Mr. Kamuti stated.
He noted that operators are struggling to make their cashing and many people do not have money, therefore hiking bus fares is something that the Association will not accept.
“It took almost half a month for the pronouncement to come from RTSA that there is an adjustment in bus fares and up to now we know that the commuters have not recovered from that effect. I have always been saying that salaries are still stagnant, people are still on the same salary scale and business is tough even to the same operators.”
“There is no money in circulation and even the same operators are struggling to make their cashing so this means that people have no money, even if we start talking about adjusting the bus fares it won’t make any sense and that’s something we won’t accept. As CRAZ our position is very clear, this time around there won’t be any adjustment in bus fares,” he added.
Last week, Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has revised upwards the price of Petrol by K1.30 per liter for the month of March 2023, while the cost of Low Sulphur Diesel, Kerosene and Jet A1 fuel at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport has remained unchanged.
