BULAWAYO residents have bemoaned the recent upwards review of Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) urban routes fares citing that is unaffordable for the commuting public.
ZUPCO which is enjoying a monopoly, hiked fares by by 100 percent with effect from July 1.
The Company announced that the bus fares which were previously pegged at ZWL$30 will now cost ZWL$60 per trip, while the fares which were previously pegged at ZWL$45 will now go up to ZWL$90 per trip.
Commuter omnibus fares which were previously ZWL$50 will now be ZWL$80 per trip.
In an interview with CITE, Cynthia Mpofu said the move to hike the fare is unjustified.
“The move by the government to hike ZUPCO fares is really unreasonable considering the fact that no one had a pay raise and looking at the current situation most people are struggling,” said Mpofu
“The justification for this fare increase is just unfounded, after all these buses do not even meet the demand as they have few buses”.
Another resident Thabo Nkomo added that the fares are too much for the passenger who commutes two times.
“The situation is difficult especially for some of us you find that we stay in the Western suburbs but you will be employed in the Eastern suburbs, so this is just unfair,” said Nkomo.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) Secretary for Administration, Thembelani Dube said they long queried the ZUPCO monopoly.
“As Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) we raised the red flag from the beginning condemning the ZUPCO monopoly. The monopoly has led us to where we are today,” said Dube.
“As long as there is no competition from other players, residents will remain at the mercy of ZUPCO which does not only double fares willy nilly but also continues to flout covid19 World Health Organization (WHO) regulations by overloading passengers.”
Dube also condemned the company for not having safe loading bays.
“Residents are continuously exposed to bad weather elements and mugging. The residents continue to ask the questions: who owns ZUPCO? Is ZUPCO genuinely serving the poor residents,” said Dube.
