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Up-country bus fares skyrocketing despite Sumatra warning
2007-07-18 09:01:16
By Enock Nyange SAUT
UP-Country bus fares are skyrocketing despite the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority`s (Sumatra) directives to transporters not to do so, The Guardian has learnt.
A survey conducted at the Ubungo Bus Terminal in Dar es Salaam yesterday revealed that most bus fares for up-country buses had shot up tremendously.
For instance, the fare from Dar es Salaam to Arusha has gone up from 9000/- to 12,000/- for a normal bus and 25,000/- for a luxury one, while from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza fare has shot up from 35,000/- to 45,000/-.
Dar es Salaam to Tanga fare has shot up from 5000/- to 8500/- while Dar es Salaam to Dodoma fare has risen from 8000/- to 10,000/-. Dar es Salaam to Morogoro fares have recorded a slight hike, from the former 4000/- to the current 5000/-.
Asked to comment on reasons for hiking the fares, most bus operators attributed it to the high price of fuel following hiked tax on petroleum products.
Commenting on the same, Air Bus Royal Coach agent Victor Kweka said there have been differences in terms of seats whereby buses accommodating two passengers per seat charge more to compensate for other costs.
He also said that apart from the sitting plan, some of the bus owners hiked fares to maximise profit.
When asked about the different amounts that normally appear on the tickets, another Air Bus agent, Hiza Kizunguto, said that some people bought tickets from agents and sold them at a higher price to passengers.
Regina Haule, a passenger travelling from Dar to Tanga, said she had paid 9,000/-. ``They told me that the fare has gone down from 10,000/- after the government had issued a warning,`` she said.
Regina added, ``I bought a ticket for 9,000/- and demanded to know the reason. They said it had been lowered from 10,000/- to 9000/-.
However, some tickets have lower amount written on them. I call upon the government to take stern measures against those failing to abide by the regulations.``
The Guardian also witnessed another passenger, Amani Semvua, who was travelling to Tanga, and refuse to accept a ticket sold to him at 10, 000/-.
``I noticed a big difference in the amount written on the ticket. Some of the passengers have paid less than 10,000/-.
I don`t see the reason to pay more for the same. I would rather opt for another bus,`` said Semvua.
Efforts to get Sumatra officials to comment yesterday proved futile.
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