Zimbabwe’s police on Monday warned they will arrest private bus operators who have hiked fares following a doubling of fuel prices amid triple-digit inflation and a lingering transport crisis.
State radio quoted police spokesperson Inspector Loveless Rupere as saying that ”commuter operators should revert to old fares or risk being arrested”.
The report quoted him as saying that ”commuters who were overcharged for a trip should write down the registration number of the vehicle concerned and report to the nearest police station”.
Rupere said ”police will need at least two witnesses to convict unscrupulous operators”.
Zimbabwe, which is facing a crippling fuel shortage, on Wednesday upped petrol and diesel prices by more than 100%, an increase the government said was needed to keep up with international prices.
The latest move exacerbates the fuel and transport crisis, the worst since independence in 1980, which has seen many people walking kilometres to work and cars queueing up for days outside gas stations.
Petrol prices zoomed from Z$10 000 per litre to Z$22 300, while diesel shot up from Z$9 600 to Z$20 800.
Private bus operators — who are now the backbone of Harare’s public transport system — immediately upped fares to more than double, sparking an outcry.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe said its members will be forced to stay home.
”The cost of travelling to and from work has more than doubled for most teachers who have to board two buses to get to school,” secretary general Raymond Majongwe said, adding: ”The teachers will not be able to get to work.”
Private bus operators argue the hike is justified as they buy fuel at higher prices than the state-owned public transport corporation Zupco, which gets a subsidised rate. — Sapa-AFP