Dar residents say no to Sumatra fare hikes

Dar es salaam residents said yesterday they are not satisfied with the increased bus and train fares announced by the Surface and Marine Transport Authority on Tuesday pointing out that they would make the lives of low income-earners unbearable.

In a survey carried out by The Guardian yesterday advisor of the Association for Emancipation of Passengers in Tanzania Wilson Mashaka blamed Sumatra for taking a unilateral decision to hike the fares.


He said based on the Sumatra Act No 9 of 2001, the agency should have convened a public inquiry to discuss the issue of raising fares.

A renowned economist cum politician who preferred to remain anonymous said the hike would make it difficult for the government to lower inflation to a single digit by the end of June this year since the transport sector is crucial to economic growth.

“Factors that stabilize inflation include availability of food and reliable power. If one of these factors is disturbed, it will trigger inflation,” the politician said.

He said Sumatra’s decision would adversely affect low-income Tanzanians as they will not afford to move from place to place in search of their life amenities.
“Even if bus owners operate at a loss, this isn’t the right moment to shift the burden to poor citizens by hiking the fares,” he explained.

A resident of Buguruni, Kelvin Marwa, said the hiking of the fares would heavily affect ordinary Tanzania who earn their living the hard way.
“The government must review Sumatra’s decision since it would lead to the rise of the cost of living,” Marwa said.

Rosemary Shija, a resident of Pugu said the increase in fares would also lead to the increase of food prices in the market.

Sumatra should have consulted relevant authorities before taking the decision to inflate the fares,” she said.
Juma Bakari, a resident of Magomeni, blamed the government for taking decisions without involving the public.

“We have the right to be heard. The government must involve us in such decisions which affect our lives,” he said.

He proposed to the government to establish its own transport corporation which would render its services at reasonable costs.
“My daily income is 10,000/- . How can I feed my family and send the children to school?” he queried.

When announcing the increase of fares for Dar es Salaam and upcountry commuter buses and the railway sub-sector on Tuesday, Sumatra said they would come into effect on April 12, this year.

New commuter bus fares in Dar es Salaam have been increased by 24.46 percent while the rise for up country would be revised according to the grade of buses.
For ordinary buses the increase will be 20.3 percent while for semi luxury and luxury buses the percentage would be 16.9 and 13.2 respectively.

For Dar es Salaam commuter buses, the new-baseline tariffs have been increased according to distance, while students’ fare will be 200/- instead of the current 150/- regardless of the distance.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN