The People’s Alliance for Change has accused Bus Owners and Government of exploiting Zambians through the hike in Bus fares announced by the Road Transport and Safety Agency yesterday.
Party President Andyford Banda says the increase in Bus fares on Long distance routes by 13%, K2 on Inter mine Copperbelt routes, K1 on Copperbelt local routes, K2 on Lusaka local routes and K2 on Lusaka Peri–Urban routes is too much and is imposing additional burden on common man who is already struggling to put food on the table.
Mr Banda said with the Petrol prices having increased by K1.64 and diesel by K1.36 in December last year, PAC expected that Bus fares would at least increase by K0.50 or K1on local routes and between 5% and 10% on long distance routes and not K2 and 13% announced by RTSA.
He said it is difficult to comprehend how the K2 and 13% was arrived at in a meeting where government was also present to represent the Zambian people.
Mr Banda said the Ministry of Transport and Communications failed to represent the Zambian people and are to blame for the unreasonable increase in bus fares announced yesterday.
He said the hike in bus fares is too much and will increase further the cost of living as people will now be required to spend more on transport.
“We also expect an increase in the cost of food as women who order their merchandise from Soweto will also increase the prices of their merchandize.
Prices of goods and services especially imported products are also likely to go up due to the increase in fuel prices”, he said.
Mr Banda has urged Zambians to brace themselves for harder times in 2020 as the economy is showing no signs of recovery under the Patriotic Front Government.
Has this man heard of inflation?
You can’t understand.
The ALN gay guy hasn’t heard of fuel hikes let alone the latest happenings in the middle east.
Dreamers please jack yourselves up to a level you can rig for oil across Zambia.
When Government rightly hikes fuel, the direct consequence of this undertaking is fares, goods and food prices taking a rise. Unfortunately a salary stays put. It too needs to do up. Inflation then zooms into the picture.
If I were a bus owner, I would factor in the repairs cost because parts, oil, and other supplies will also go up. Don’t kill businesses in the name of shallow analysis.
He has a point. There is no correlation between the respective increases. You may talk about inflation, but do these transport prices go down accordingly when fuel prices reduce?
It’s not only fuel increases that are taken into account but also other things such as spare parts which have also increased by 50% because of the dollar, wear and tear, etc.
Its important also to see the reference price of crude whether WTI or the DUBAI and see the direction of the price in these oil dynamics especially as we transact on pre agreed terms and price as differentials to benchmarks
We expect the prices to come down to equilibrium to reflect market and expectations and those future procurement must translate in some savings to our sectors and people
You need to see Oil Price dynamics long-term from one including cost of electricity energy Normally in efficient markets prices will always converge to equilibrium removing those miss pricing and reward the most cost effective producer or seller
With price increases comes more investments and with…
more attractive Investments as per the thinking we expect in the long-term that prices will reduce to those on international energy and global markets Its expected also that even the transports and millers will reduce their prices down to reflect the economics and if they will have to stay in business and perform for long-term
As it is with energy transformations and transitions Customers will innovate and seek cheaper methods of transport and services including food Prices as signaled will move downwards to equilibrium to reflect what people should be paying and only those effective companies will survive the energy transitions that will move faster
Does this man run any business or ever run one? Please when you write an article dont assume everyone knows the actual price at the pump, what does “the Petrol prices having increased by K1.64 and diesel by K1.36” translate to?
As it is in Lusaka there filling stations cheaper for refueling and services to attract those Customers in competition So Transporters and Consumers have the power also to transmit what they feel is the market price in their choice and those stations over pricing will loose out eventually be forced to reduce to equilibrium
The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) increased the price of petrol to K17.62 from K15.98.
and diesel to K15:59 from K14:23. In Copperbeit the local routes, for instance, K6.50 now will be K7.50 meaning that diesel was increased by 9.5% and bus fare increased by 15% why?
Imagine what would happen with Evs and commuter fast trains So energy transition and transformations including smart cities in transports like fast trains if they come to Zambia will more than 50% reduce Transport costs for passengers
Oil will be a preserve of industrial productivity even then the price dynamics despite the Iran points to a fall over the long run
Leadership that will make a grade on prices of energy and oil are those that will tslk about how Zambia will transition into Electric vehicles smarter cities and commuter trains The rest chipante pante fye and Pf started well on smart cities strategies that will need to be energized and impact prices for people to…
International benchmark Brent crude fell 4% to $65.54 a barrel, a marked reversal after at first climbing more than 4% immediately after news of the attack. The initial surge in response to news of the attack sent Brent up to a high of $71.75 per barrel — its highest since September.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped $3.09, or 4.9%, to $59.61 a barrel, marking its first time below $60 a barrel since Dec. 16. That marked a sharp fall from WTI crude’s initial 4.5% spike in overnight trading, when it hit $65.65 a barrel and its highest level since April.
When oil goes up so does the cost of running the same route and distance. The provider must then hike fares up rightly, to recoup the rise, otherwise they run on a loss. It’s unfortunately justified. Citizens must tighten up. Maybe donations can help subsidise the poor…..?
But, does anyone remember nationalised Zamcabs and Zambuses in the 70/80s. The fares were like in ngwees! Aaaaaaah those days……..
One Mass Transit commuter can swallow those costs and 100 buses into 1 either on the routes South East or North and reduce the fares by 50%
Sometimes its the methods of transport that needs to change to effect favorable price movements given the oil price dynamics Transformation to Evs will help reduce the fares also in the long run
Playing cost reflective oil prices on the international markets with well positioned solid global powers and companies on the Zambian economics will always result in unintended price spirals without some reserves to cushions and mark to market those losses or gains in prices of oil to eventually compensate or recoup from the poor passengers