Some Kombi crews in Harare are now demanding transport fares in foreign currency saying that they buy fuel in US dollars.
A tout who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com and identified himself as Sam revealed that the transport fare from the city centre to Chitungwiza has been pegged at US$1 while that from Warren Park to the city centre is now US$0.50. Said Sam:
We are buying fuel in US dollars so it is only logical that we charge in the same currency.
My kombi plies the Warren Park 1 to town route which is not really strict on US dollar payments but my colleagues plying the Chitungwiza route are already demanding US$1 per person or equivalent for them to buy foreign currency on the black market at the end of their working day.
Fares to Warren Park 1 and back have been rising everyday hence we have opted to encourage our passengers to pay US$1 per pair.
In 2019, the government of Zimbabwe banned the use of foreign currency in domestic transactions, with Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya insisting that de-dollarisation is irreversible.
However, economic analysts have since warned authorities that the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar was done prematurely with no supporting fundamentals in place.