THE Zambian Roads & Highway Safety Group (ZRHSG) is urging the Zambian Government to stop the pricing cartels within the public passenger bus sector and allow each bus operator to determine their own bus fares.
The Highway Safety Group has noted with concern the continued existence of this pricing cartel for many years that only benefit the bus owners and tend to hold to ransom public bus passengers who have no choice but to pay the fixed bus fare. This pricing cartel has always left passengers disadvantaged as they have no choice when it comes to bus fares as all fares are pegged at the same cartel price and bus fare regardless of the type and standard of bus services being provided.
This pricing system also makes it hard for passengers to benefit from reduced fuel prices or increased competition in the passenger bus sector.
The Highway Safety Group notes that Zambia being a free market economy should allow each and every public bus company to determine their own bus fares and pricing of the services they provide.
As things stand, the pricing cartel in the passenger bus sector is also stopping innovations in the provision of bus services as bus owners get rewarded even for a bad service they provide.
The Highway Safety Group therefore urges the Government through relevant line ministries like Ministry of Transport, Commerce and agencies like Road Transport and Safety Agencies to review all old laws and policies that have led to these pricing cartels operating and free the passenger bus sector from manipulation and collusion. Let the passenger bus sector be treated to the same anti price controls and price fixing legislation.
The Highway Safety Group looks forward to safer, efficient and cheaper modes of passenger transport as better and newer models of buses are introduced on our roads.
Am against this statement
Who ever wrote this does not know or wants passengers to be held at ransom by bus cartels…………
Get rid of unfit buses from the stations.
Totally agree with the article.
What if all the bus owners come together and say we all double our prices…….take it or leave it …..?????
Most Commuters have no other means or travel except buses……….
If there was alternative modes of travel like trains or trams , unsetting price caps is possible……….
Not if the only mode of travel for 70 % of people is by bus…………
You are inviting trouble…
FREE MARKET encourages competition and competition improves quality and standards. We cannot have a bus with lice and bed bugs in the seats charging the same with one with air conditioning. We need to liberalise the economy. Even the defunct UBZ which was a monopoly had different prices for the express coaches from the doba doba. Why not now?
government should invest in public transport and cancel every small bus operators ,decrease road traffic
Upnd thugs are running bus stops and charging pf supporters to operate