Monday 3 August 2020

ZUPCO FARES HIKED


THE Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) has hiked bus and kombi fares for intra-city routes, citing rising operational costs.

Passengers on local routes will now pay $16 for kombis and $8 for buses for a one-way trip.
 Zupco chief executive Evaristo Madangwa confirmed the development to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday.

He said the high operational costs that the company was incurring had necessitated the fare hikes.
“I can confirm that prices have increased. It is just a measure of recovering operating costs so that we continue to operate effectively. We are yet to finalise new long distance fares,” Madangwa said.

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) director Lorraine Mupasiri said the development will worsen the plight of hard-pressed citizens.
“It is quite a difficult situation for everyone considering that the lockdown has heavily impacted on citizens’ earnings. So obviously the fare hikes will make it more difficult for commuters to make ends meet. On the other hand, the state of the economy generally has seen most goods and services going up and Zupco is just following suit.

“However, considering that Zupco is a parastatal which has a monopoly over public transport, the government has a duty to make sure that fares are affordable. The fare increase, therefore, defies the government’s moral duty,” she said.

Mupasiri is an applicant in a case where CHRA and the Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (Paz) are challenging the Zupco monopoly before the High Court. They recently filed an urgent chamber application for the government to be ordered to allow other transport operators to operate to help ease demand.

They want Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020, which gives Zupco a monopoly in public transport services, to be declared unconstitutional. Chra and Paz also want Zupco to be monitored to ensure adherence with World Health Organisation guidelines on combating Covid-19.

Chra and Paz were represented by Women and Law in Southern Africa and cited Health minister (acting) Amon Murwira, Transport minister Joel Biggie Matiza and Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) as respondents in the matter. Daily News

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