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Blessings Chidakwa
Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has with immediate effect hiked bus ranking fees by 200 percent forcing long distance buses to shun the usually busy Mbare Musika bus terminus.
Each bus is now expected to pay US$30 daily up from $10 with calculations showing that companies like Inter Africa with an average of 500 buses will have to fork out US$15 000 for ranking fees daily.
Likewise, CAG with about 200 buses will fork out US$6 000 daily.
A visit at the site this morning showed that it was all confusion as most buses had devised new loading bays among them Tsiga illegal market area and Tagarika Flats.
While Tsiga area was packed with buses, at Mbare Musika at around that same time, only four buses were observed loading inside.
Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the increase was part of the implementation of the 2021 city budget.
“For the maintenance of a standard rank, resources are needed. This is a cost recovery charge so that we can offer appropriate services,” he said.
Ironically, bus operators using own resources last year renovated Mbare Musika terminus which had suffered years of neglect.
They erected a palisade fence, installed boreholes, renovated toilets among other stuff.
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