Omnibus operators defy minister Chombo over fares

By Tererai Karimakwenda
08 January 2007

The minister for local government Ignatius Chombo is facing strong resistance from the owners of minibus transport services who have continued to charge Z$700 per trip after he ordered them to reduce it to Z$400 per trip last week. Appearing on state television last Thursday, Chombo threatened to revoke the permits of those who do not comply.
But the operators say they cannot afford to reduce their fares due to the high cost of fuel on the black market. They also insist they are still charging fares below the Z$800 per trip maximum stipulated by Chombo himself when he issued them permits.

According to our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa, who spoke to members of the Omnibus Operators Association, the government is failing to provide them with enough subsidised fuel as promised. He said much of the available supplies are being given to government officials and influential ruling party members. Muchemwa was told that operators are lucky to get 20 litres per month. The rest is sourced on the black market for an inflated price of Z$3,500 per litre. To make any profit operators must charge the minimum Z$700 per trip for the 20-25 kilometres to most high-density suburbs.

Muchemwa said residents to Kuwadzana, Glen View, Budiriro and Glen Norah are paying Z$700 per trip. Chombo issued permits to operators who service these areas limiting them to a maximum Z$800 per trip. In this regard, the operators say they are still within the specified limits. But according to Muchemwa, Chombo threatened them in his television address. He said he would issue orders to the police to arrest any operators who are overcharging.

Fuel is expensive because it can only be bought in foreign currency which is in extremely short supply. Muchemwa said the filling stations were given permission to source foreign currency from the black market by the Reserve Bank Of Zimbabwe. Offices for forex dealers were opened at some filling stations to facilitate this process. The filling stations in turn charge highly inflated prices to make up for the forex rates they are facing. And this is passed on to the omnibus operators who determine fares for each trip.