Kuzeeko Tjitemisa
WINDHOEK – Despite yesterday’s hike in public transport and taxi fares, attributed to a hike in petrol and diesel prices, the rates for City of Windhoek (CoW) municipal busses will remain unchanged.
Transport Minister John Mutorwa yesterday announced a 20 percent increase, effective tomorrow, in public transport and taxi fares across the country, weeks after he insisted that the law only allows for an increase that is not more than 10 percent.
“The Road Transportation Act states that ‘a holder of public permit authorised to convey [persons] for reward may at any time after any increase in the price of petroleum fuel in the Republic, increase such tariffs by so much, but by no more than 10 percent of such tariffs’,” Mutorwa said last month.
The new increases announced by Mutorwa mean commuters in Windhoek will be forking out N$12 per trip, making it N$24 per day on average and N$576 per month.
CoW PRO Lydia Amutenya yesterday told New Era that the municipal buses fares remain unchanged at N$6 per trip for smart card users and N$7 when paying cash.
Mutorwa, in a statement, said fare increments are regulated in terms of section 12b of the Road Transportation Act of 1977.
However, he said the board in its discretion and powers has considered, inter alia, factors such as the present state of the economy, ever increasing fuel prices, commodity prices and overall cost of living.
He said, among others, due regard was given to the fact that the last increment was in 2014 and the fuel prices have been increasing drastically since then.
Mutorwa also said the board took into account consideration of the current economic recession that is prevailing globally and has hit Namibia hard.
He urged all permit holders to comply with the new public transport fare increment.
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