Some Bus station operators and their workers in Katete have asked government to find means in which the price of fuel can be reduced as the situation is so bad to the bus owners and operators to determine the fares, as a lot of people so far have stopped travelling because their are failing to pay the new fares that have been adjusted more than the fuel increase in some cases more than 35%.
Sydney Banda who works for Zambia Malawi Bus Services and Stephen Phiri who is working for Jonda Bus Services respectively, both told Mphangwe FM, that at their routes in Lusaka the Katete routes has started recording very low turnout in terms of the traveling passengers, since the bus fares were increased , in short people have stopped travelling.
Mr Banda said although they understand the situation in which the government has found itself after fuel prices rose on the world market, when cheaper sources of fuel are found, the price must be reduced, the adjustment or increase is too astronomical how do operators adjust by 30% – 35%, government must intervene.
As this will affect agricultural activit lies, as he said currently the major customers who travel between Lusaka and Katete are agro driven business people who travel to order various agro goods and together with the farmers who are mostly women have no any other source of money apart from agricultural activities , hence this is the reason why we have huge reduction in people traveling are they are constantly assessing the amount of money in their pockets before embarking on a journey. At the time of gathering the news at the station, there were very few people who were travelling and most buses were not full. The few passengers who were travelling long distances kept doing calculations to ensure they did not run out of transport money on the way.
Victoria Phiri who was travelling to Mufulira for a graduation ceremony said she was travelling because she had no alternative.
A Kanthenga Bus crew that had started off for Lusaka ended up handing over the passengers to ACK Bus Services in Petauke.