Maputo, 13 Feb (AIM) – The Mozambican Federation of Road Transport Associations (Fematro) has delayed by a week a huge fare increase that was due to take effect on Monday throughout the Greater Maputo Metropolitan Area.
To the dismay of passengers, the increase was announced unilaterally last Thursday. Illegally, Fematro did not consult with the municipal authorities before imposing the new fares.
Flat-rate fares throughout greater Maputo will rise by seven meticais (about 11 US cents at the curent exchange rate). Thus the fare for short distances will rise from 12 to 19 meticais (an increase of 58 per cent), while longer journeys will cost 23 rather than 15 meticais (a 47 per cent rise), and the longest routes will cost 25 rather than 18 meticais (an increase of 39 per cent).
Last minute government intervention over the weekend persuaded Fematro to postpone the increase to 20 February.
“The fares won’t go up this Monday as we had announced”, said Fematro spokesperson Paulo Muthisse. “We are still in discussions with the government in order to establish what the rise will be for the Greater Maputo Metropolitan Area”
Fematro thought it “better to retreat, because we are not at war with the government. We are just negotiating”.
Fematro justifies the demand for a huge fare rise, on the grounds of recent substantial increases in running costs for buses and minibuses.
“It’s not just the price of fuel”, said Muthisse, “There’s also the question of wages for our staff, the costs of tyres, lubricants, and spare parts, among other aspects, all of which make transport more expensive.
Bus fares are a sensitive issue, and in the past fare rises have led to serious rioting.
(AIM)
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