adminVimbai Chinembiri Chronicle Reporter
HOLIDAY travellers are in a fix. Local and cross-border transporters have astronomically hiked fares, some by more than 100 percent, as they cash in on desperate travellers.A snap survey by Chronicle yesterday established that transport operators, mainly those plying long distance rural routes and cross border operators, had increased their fares.
A trip from Bulawayo to Sipepa in Tsholotsho, normally pegged at $7, has risen to $15 while the usual $5 fare to Gwanda and Nkayi now costs between $8 and $10.
Harare transporters have hiked their fares to $15 from $12 with some saying they will go up to $20 this weekend. Despite the increase in fares, scores of travellers were seen boarding buses at long distance termini in Nkulumane, Entumbane and Renkini while some were seen standing on the highways waiting for private vehicles.
Cross border transporters are also cashing in on the increased human traffic of Zimbabweans coming home from countries such as Botswana and South Africa while others will be going out on holiday.
Hleziphi Ngwenya, who arrived in Bulawayo in the morning from Johannesburg, said she paid 660 rand from the usual 300 rand.
Others said they paid 800 rand.
“I opted for the bus because omalayitsha are now charging up to 1,200 rand,” Ngwenya said.
Some travellers said they were forced to pay up to 300 rand to pass through the border without passports.
“Some of us do not have passports. When we left Johannesburg we were told we would pay 100 rand at the border but at the border we were told it was now 300 rand,” said another traveller.
Travellers from Francistown and Gaborone in Botswana have not been spared either. A conductor of a bus plying the Bulawayo-Gaborone route said they were charging P200 from P150 while the Bulawayo to Francistown trip now costs P100 from P70.
Asked why they were hiking fares transporters said police manning roadblocks had also increased the amount of money they wanted from transporters.
A man who owns a Coaster and plies the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho route said the police were fuelling fare increases.
“Where we were paying $10 so that we can transport people we are now paying $20. So imagine there are five roadblocks along the way,” said the operator.
“Yesterday I had $90 after fuelling the car and by the time I got to Tsholotsho I only had $34 after paying the police.”
Zimbabwe Passengers Association’s secretary general, Paul Makiwa said operators should desist from overcharging and urged the police to arrest those who increase fares illegally.
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi appealed to the public and operators to report any police officer who demanded bribes from transporters.
“We want all those rogue elements out of the police force. As police we do not condone any form of corruption. Police are paid by their employer who is the government of Zimbabwe not by transport operators,” Chief Supt Nyathi said.
He added: “We will arrest any transporter found taking advantage of travellers by hiking fares. Those exorbitant fares are illegal. We are appealing to the public to alert us so that we can effectively arrest all offenders.”
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu also said increasing fares was illegal.
“Those fares are not registered and our ministry has a clear position on this careless increase. No fares have been adjusted. We will descend on such people who want to subvert clear rules,” Dr Mpofu said.
Online Reporter