Madam,
The potential proposal by public transport operators to increase fares could not have come at a worse time for ordinary emaSwati. From a personal standpoint, and from conversations I have daily with neighbours, colleagues and fellow commuters, it is clear that another hike in transport costs would leave many families financially crippled.
Transport is not a luxury; it is a daily necessity. For workers, it is the bridge between home and employment. For students, it is the route to education. For small traders, it is the means of moving goods to market. When fares rise, the effect ripples across every aspect of life. It is not simply a matter of paying a few extra Emalangeni per trip; it is about how those extra costs accumulate over weeks and months in households already stretched to breaking point.
The cost of living has steadily climbed. Food prices remain high, electricity tariffs have increased and rental costs continue to rise. Basic commodities that once felt affordable now require careful budgeting and sacrifice. Many families have already cut back on non-essential spending. There are no luxuries left to trim. When transport fares increase, the only options are to reduce grocery spending, delay paying bills, or incur debt. None of these choices is sustainable.
For those earning modest wages, particularly in urban areas such as Mbabane and Manzini, transport consumes a significant portion of monthly income. A worker who takes two trips a day, five or six days a week, will feel even a small increase acutely. Over a month, that ‘small’ increase can translate into hundreds of Emalangeni. For households with more than one commuter, the burden doubles or triples. It becomes a silent tax on survival.
Students are equally vulnerable. Parents already struggle with school fees, uniforms and stationery. An increase in fares may force some learners to walk long distances, exposing them to safety risks and fatigue that affect academic performance. In a country striving for development and opportunity, this is a step backwards.
While one may sympathise with operators facing rising fuel and maintenance costs, the solution cannot simply be to transfer the entire burden onto commuters. The economic reality is that wages have not kept pace with inflation. Until incomes rise meaningfully, increasing fares will only deepen hardship and widen inequality. If public transport becomes unaffordable, productivity will suffer. Workers arriving late or missing shifts due to transport challenges affect businesses and the broader economy. The cycle becomes self-defeating.
In these difficult times, policy decisions must consider the lived reality of ordinary emaSwati. Raising fares may appear justified on paper, but in practice it risks pushing struggling families further into poverty. What we need are balanced solutions that protect both operators and commuters, not measures that leave the public carrying a weight it can no longer bear.
The potential proposal by public transport operators to increase fares could not have come at a worse time for ordinary emaSwati.
