SOME public transport operators in Ndola have increased fares by 10 percent following the hike of pump price of petroleum products by 7.2 percent.
Last week, The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) announced the hiked the pump prices of all petroleum products by 7.2 percent following the cumulative depreciation of the Kwacha against the United States Dollar Taxi driver at the illegal taxi rank at the junction of Kwacha and Kalewa roads have increased the fare from K3 to K4.
But bus fares at Mulungushi and Chisokone bus stations in the town center of the city have remained the same.
Taxi drivers at the rank who preferred anonymity in an interview yesterday said that it was right for them to hike the fares by 10 percent.
They said in separate interviews that they were free to charge any amount because they were using private and comfortable vehicles.
“From here to town its K4 and for those that drop on the way up to Misundu Road its K3 only. We make our own prices and we do not follow fare charts from the council,” they said.
A check at the Mulungushi and Chsikone Bus Station found operators using the old fare chart from the council.
Mike Mubanga, one of the mini bus drivers at Chisokone bus station said the bus fares would only increase after they have a negotiating meeting with the council today.
He said drivers cannot hike bus fares without consultation from the local authority and other stakeholders.
“We are likely to come up with a new chart fare tomorrow after the meeting we will have at the council, at the moment we cannot hike despite the hike in fuel because it is illegal.
Effort to get comments from Ndola City Council Public Relations Manager Roy Kuseka proved futile as his phone by press time went unanswered.
And the Road Transport and Safety Agency(RTSA) has warned that it is illegal for bus operators to increase bus fares without following laid down procedure.
Some TAXI operators in Livingstone have increased fares by one Kwacha following the recent hike in the pump prices of petroleum products.
But RTSA Director Zindaba Soko says his agency has not met any officials representing bus operators or commuters on proposals to increase bus fares.
He says his office has not received any proposals from any organization to increase fares.
Some TAXI drivers spoken to in Livingstone say the increase in the price of fuel has forced them to increase the fares.
BUT other drivers say the increase has not been agreed upon with relevant offices such as the council and the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA).
Meanwhile the Public and Private Drivers Association of Zambia has appealed to its members NOT to increase bus fares.
Association president Josiah Majuru says doing so will be illegal adding that bus fares can only be increased after consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
Last week, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) announced an increase of the pump price of petroleum products by an average of 8 percent.
The new pump prices per liter are now 10 kwacha 63 ngwee for petrol from 9 kwacha 91 ngwee, diesel will be 10 kwacha 1 ngwee from 9 kwacha 20 ngwee while kerosene is now sold at 7 kwacha 48 ngwee from 6 kwacha 83 ngwee.
“People are paying for Sata’s corruption” RB commenting on the recent fuel price hike as reported in today’s Post edition.
Nice one vote wisely next time……
Not for ifipuba
Fares will definitely go up because the cost of operations has gone up due to the increase in fuel prices. what must be done now is the relevant stakeholders should meet soonest to avoid what is already happening where people are increasing fares illegally. The operators are doing so because the are already feeling the effects of “Thursday midnight increment.”
It means less money in your pockets and even smaller portions of our bloved nshima – that is the gospel according to MCS in the book of Mpikanomics,in the insightful chapter of “how to spread poverty”
Afraid of being attacked by pf militias because of online comments,here is free advice for you~look for any old NRC for a dead person and register your sim card{2}ensure that the surname is not the same with that of a dead person{3}the sim card and phone must be exclusively used for browsing and not communication{4}open a fake facebook and don’t make or accept friendly request to\from people you know{5}keep the phone out of reach of children and other potential would be users {6}I used my grandmothers NRC who died in 2010 at the age of 92years.
Whats the motive? you are the people tarnishing the online publication’s image. if you ve evil minds stay away from commenting. this blogging stuff is serious business. we need ideas of how people will meet the needs of bus operators and commuters. not fan insulting comments. Though, I think we should leave the market forces of supply and demand to apply. let the bus operators calculate their profits on the existing expenditure rather than the increase in fuel.This commandist economy does not work we saw it in UNIP. As for RATSA why involve them in price increase negotiations. its ultravires for them. let them regulate and implement traffic rules period.
@yaks.whether you use palatable language or not for as long as you are not for pf you will be targeted.eg let just rb say something against pf and see how he will insulted by chelah g.
Bus fare increase, next to follow Game store, shoprite and other grocery stores. Marketeers, clinics, schools will follow suit. The worst thing will be when Banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions increase their commissions, premiums and charges.
Game store? Shoprite?
Man. Where ve been. In shoprite, an apple that used to cost K is 2.59 already K2.99
People get hold of today’s National Paper and read page 6, to understand what PF corruption is doing with regards to prices of fuel.
Yes, the transport operators are within their rights to increase the price of bus fares, since they are not sold fuel at a preferential price. PF you are now failing the very poor. You laid about subsidies favouring the rich. Yes PF is all about lies and nothing else. Just in case you did not lie, it means you are seriously incompetent to have failed to understand the implications of removing subsides on fuel.
Sorry to say this but kinda deja vu. We only have ourselves to blame. Learning it the hard way. Let’s vote wisely next time.
Honestly @Reality, and with due respect, I am kinda tired of this ‘vote wisely’ mantra that always drives us right back to the rut we claim we are voting ourselves out of. Why can’t we change tact for a change? We keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. How about holding these guys by the 6@115 every single day from the day they are elected to the day they seek re-election? That will teach some candidates to know they are getting into power for WORK and not for empty promises…
By the way, those without 6@115 can tell us what we can hold them by… for the same effect.
@Kal, I concur with your thoughts. The trouble is our leaders think they get paid from money which comes from running their ‘own businesses’; they forget they are elected to be civil servants. This mentality needs to change.
Is RTSA so clueless about economics? Their main operational costs (price of fuel) has gone up. Now how do you sustain your business if you don’t increase your fares to make a profit? Doesn’t RTSA increase the charges for driving tests, vehicle fitness inspections, vehicle road taxes, etc? Do they consult various stake holders I.e the vehicle owners before they increase these charges?
I suggest to all the minibus and taxi drivers to park their vehicles for three days a week so that people realize the value of their services
Obvious happenings. Every time fuel price went up, the cost of production, transportation, commodities and services also went up, whether quickly or slowly. What is important is the managing andcoordination of price increases so that a fair pricing is in place. We surely need to be proactive in informing pending fuel price increases and also monitoring so that people do no pay dearly on products and services. Developed world electric cars are now in operatiom; in Brazil they use fuel from sugar canes; Solar power can drive cars. What is our engineering dream in Zambia to mitigate ever increases in fuel? Zambian Engineers just maintenance lot and never innovators/creators of new phenomena!!!! Help reduce fuel prices, Zambian Engineers.
What is the final result of oil prospecting in Zambia? Anyone with a clue? Are they really still prospecting for oil but with no results? I hope they are not extracting precious minerals and exporting through the funny private bush airports. What about importing oil from Angola, any progress?
I hear Dennis Liwewe is dead
Yes. MHSRIP.
RTSA should take not that the public bus operators are for business coz the reason gi ven IRB to effect price increase for petroleum products are genuine.RTSA should be proactive. Fare hikes is just reactinh to change RTSA should instead come up with a proper safety mechanism to arrest the incidencies of fatal accidents on our roads.I see many cars parked at offices instead of doing high way patrols
Its also illegal for goverment to increase fuel overnight without giving reason to the public. At least the bus operators have reason to increase in broad day light. Its also illegal to increase fuel of old stock and theft but this they turn a blind eye to it. We need people who are serious to run this country. You refuse to employ this year, wage freeze this year, subsidies already removed, then all commodities will be hiked as the cost of operation and production is reciprocated by the fuel hikes. Dull thinking.
Its pure economics. When prices of inputs in a production cycle go up, the final product of that production cycle will increase. This is not suggest that people want to make a lot of profits; but in a free market economy everything goes towards equilibrium where supply and demand meet each other intelligently. This is an economic explanation.
Politically what we find is that the initial decision to remove subsidies on maize and fuel will for the most part affect the poor as they are inflexible to changes in market prices. Any slight change will affect them. This becomes another form of taxation on the poor; whereas the rich will hardly be affected by any changes to the market price changes. This continues to be an undue burden on the poor.
So while the Zambian public must incur these costs GRZ still insists on charging 25% import levy on finished petroleum products and will not allow private business to import fuel??? is it only me or is this ridiculous, surely the simply solution is to open the market on fuel imports and GRZ should reduce or eliminate the import costs!! the average Zambian is subsidising GRZ wages through fuel while all MPs etc get free fuel! lack of foresight by GRZ not ensuring we can process fuel in Zambia through a modern Indeni should not lead the public to PAY!