GOOD NEWS; PLAN TO SHELVE BUS FARE HIKES

MANZINI - In what could sound as music to the ears of commuters, public transport operators are considering putting on hold the review of bus fare hikes, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Normally, under the recent agreement between public transport operators and government, bus fares are supposed to be adjusted every year. However, following the outbreak of COVID-19, which affected businesses, including the public transport industry, the operators said they believed that reviewing bus fares under the prevailing situation (COVID-19) would be an insult to their customers.

Reviewing

The Swaziland Local Transport Association (SLTA) National Chairman, Mandla Dlamini, said they were planning to put on hold the exercise of reviewing bus fares next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said this was because the outbreak of the virus affected the economy and ultimately many people’s income. “People are broke and we think by suspending the process of reviewing bus fares next year we can make our customers heave a sigh of relief,” the national chairman said. He said their view was that they should monitor the situation and when the situation improved in terms of the economy, they could then review the bus fares.

On the same note, SLTA Manzini Branch Secretary Sabelo Dlamini said even though they had not met officially about the matter, common sense was that it would be difficult to increase bus fares under the prevailing situation of COVID-19. “Yes, the pandemic has affected our businesses as people are encouraged to stay at home. The movement of people has decreased and things could be worse as the second wave is already here. However, increasing bus fares cannot be an option for now because it can also have a negative impact on our businesses because people might not afford it,” he said. On the other hand, the National Road Transport Council (NRTC) Chairman, Sihlangu Nhlabatsi, confirmed that according to the agreement they had with government, they were supposed to review bus fares every year.

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