ZUPCO buses will be prioritised in fuel allocation, as
Government continues to improve the competitiveness of the public transport
operator while cushioning commuters from spiralling transport costs, the
Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has said.
Zupco buses have provided relief to the travelling public
already saddled with the rising cost of living, after the Government slashed
its fares by 50 percent.
Under the new fare structure introduced last week, buses
plying urban routes within a 20km radius are now obligated to charge travellers
50 cents while those distances of up to 30km have now been pegged at 75 cents,
from $1,50 while the fare for a distance of up to 40km has been reduced to $1
from $2.
Zupco also introduced a new electronic ticketing system
meant to ease transaction and cash as well as plug leakages at the public
transport operator.
President Mnangagwa recently commissioned 39 of the first
300 buses which the Government has secured as part of measures to ease the
plight of long suffering commuters who were now at the mercy of unscrupulous
private operators.
In a recent interview with the Zimbabwe Television Network
(ZTN), Prof Ncube revealed that Zupco buses would be given preference when it
comes to diesel allocation, with adequate foreign currency allocated for the
importation of fuel.
“In terms of fuel, of course fuel impacts everyone but the
idea is to prioritise public transportation when it comes to the allocation of
diesel fuel. So we will allocate more foreign currency because we know that by
doing that, allocating more foreign currency to the diesel that most of these
buses use, then we’re dealing with a transportation issue,” he said.
By keeping Zupco fares low, Prof Ncube said the Government
was increasing competition in the public transportation sector.
“We’re making transportation easier for anyone to access
and keeping the pricing low because we’re injecting competition into the
transport sector and that will keep prices low. We’re acutely aware of that and
we will do everything we can to make sure that the fuel situation is dealt with
in as far as these buses are concerned,” he said.
Prof Ncube said that the public transporter would in future
adopt a strategic partner as it looked to increase its fleet.
He said although Zupco would ply more rural routes as its
fleet grew, an efficient public transport system was essential in an
urban-based economy. Sunday News
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