Bus commuters will have to dig deeper into their pockets when fares increase by almost 7 percent next week.
New fares for Tansnat Durban’s Aqualine and Mynah buses will be introduced on January 31, with increases also in line for pensioners’ and scholars’ bus coupons.
Tansnat operations manager Stefan Niemandt said the price hike was “normal”.
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We have been negotiating with the city, the Transport Department, other bus operators and commuter representatives since October last year,” he said. “We had asked for 10 percent, but we settled at 7 percent last Thursday. We also held back on implementing the increase at the beginning of January… when people needed money for school fees and similar expenses.”
He added that Tansnat had had to implement the increase in terms of its contract with the city. It had alerted commuters to the increase by distributing pamphlets on buses and advertising in newspapers.
The petrol price will rise again next Wednesday, after increases earlier this month.
Cosatu provincial secretary Zet Luzipho said the increases would affect commuters.
“Workers have not been given an increase in salaries to match this,” he said. “The price of petrol goes up next Wednesday and so we will expect all other transport utilities to increase their fares as well. This will impact on people’s contributions towards school fees, rent, taxes and so on. While increases are a reality and not unexpected, it is always the ordinary man who has to suffer.”
He said that the increases could also force people into borrowing money from loan sharks to make ends meet, leading them into debt.
“It is an unfortunate situation and we do not approve of it, seeing as the buses are state subsidised,” he said. “Our people rely on public transport. It is supposed to be accessible and the way it is being experienced by passengers does not make it accessible.”
Public Transport Passenger Association eThekwini chairman Mboneni Qwabe said the association had discussed the increase with commuters but had not received word of council’s approval of the hikes.
“We proposed 4 percent initially, but we had to meet the bus operator and city halfway and we compromised on 7 percent,” he said. “It is unfortunate that we could not confirm with the people if this amount was fine with them, but now it just means we have to go back and convince them of it.”
Umbilo commuter Amber Williams said she was “furious” at the price increase.
“How can public transport cost more than taxis? Taxis are unreliable and unsafe,” she said. “Public transport is supposed to be a government solution. I used to pay R4 per bus trip and now I will have to pay more and cut back on some things. The city is taking advantage of us.” - The Mercury