Bulawayo commuter omnibus operators have a fares meeting today. Bulawayo Public Transport Association (BUPTA) spokesperson Mr. Keeper Ndlovu said the operating environment had become harsh and unsustainable hence the decision by the operators to meet and deliberate.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the Chronicle, Ndlovu said:
As operators, we understand that commuters, our clients have no money and can therefore not afford high fares. Our core business is to ferry people to various destinations across the city at affordable fares.
The meeting coincides with the dispatching of ZUPCO buses to the city of Queens and Kings.
Ndlovu also said that the introduction of ZUPCO buses shall give public commuters lots of options. He said:
Zupco was there way before us as kombi operators and we hope we will complement each other as our objective of serving the commuting public is the same. We want the commuters to be offered multiple options.
Tshova Mubaiwa Transport Cooperation chairperson Mr. Atlas Moyo said his association had not yet come up with new fares. Moyo said:
We have not yet come up with new fares as we are still deliberating and assessing the situation. We will be able to give a more concrete response after analysing the impact of the new fuel prices.
More: The Chronicle