PEOPLE planning to travel to upcountry regions during this festive season have been urged to report, to responsible authorities, any bus operator who will charge higher fares than those prescribed by the government.
The guidance comes on the wake of a
tendency by some bus operators of hiking fares towards the end of the
year, as many people take leave to travel to upcountry regions for
Christmas and New Year festivities.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the
Executive Secretary of the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory
Authority Consumer Consultative Council (Sumatra-CCC), Dr Oscar Kikoyo,
stressed that charging hiked fares violates terms and conditions for
issuance of licencesfor bus operations.
“There are also cases where middlemen
purchase tickets from the operators and sell them to passengers at
inflated charges; these incidences should be reported for appropriate
actions,” Dr Kikoyo stated at a news conference, yesterday.
He further urged passengers and the
general public to cooperate and furnish authorities with information on
any difficulties they will undergo when using public transport, so that
appropriate actions are taken to address the situation.
“It has always become a trend that due
to increased demand for transport to upcountry regions, towards the end
of year, bus operators have been hiking fares, this is against terms and
conditions for the licences issued to them,” Dr Kikoyo reiterated.
In its capacity as guardian of transport
consumers in the country, the council further urged the Tanzania Bus
Owners Association (TABOA) to act tough on agents who will cheat
passengers by hiking prices for tickets.
“Passengers should only pay fares which
have been approved by Sumatra; charging fares higher than those
prescribed by the government is against the law,” Dr Kikoyo stated
during the news conference. He went on to remind passengers to ensure
that they are provided with tickets bearing their full names and the
actual amount of fare charged whenever they travel, to enable
authorities take action in case of any problems.
The Sumatra-CCC boss explained on the
other hand that it was against the Transport Licensing (Public Service
Vehicles) for bus operators to conduct promotions, religious preaching
or political lectures in buses, warning that offenders risk a fine of up
to 200,000/-.
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