Sumatra in Mwanza prevents bus fare hike causing surge of travellers
Mwanza. Regional authorities here have successfully managed to control long distance bus operators from hiking fares, thus giving people going on holidays a huge relief.
The Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) in the region warned recently that it would take stern measures against bus operators caught hiking the fares.
According Nyegezi Bus Terminal’s chairpman Peter Mororo, Sumatra’s warning has helped boost number of people travelling from the city to other areas.
“Given the huge number of travellers, one cannot just walk in and buy a ticket, one must book two to three days for a ticket,” he said.
A traveller heading to Arusha Region told The Citizen at Nyegezi Bus Terminal that he had wanted to leave on the same day, but it was not possible.
“It was very expensive to travel at a time like this before; therefore you could secure a bus ticket. This is no longer the case, many more are traveling because the fares have remained constant,” he said.
A spot check by The Citizen on Friday, December 22, found most bus operators overwhelmed by the surge of travelers seeking for tickets. At Buzuruga Bus Terminal, long queues of people at bus-ticketing offices were seen.
Meanwhile, food prices at markets have started going up during this festive season. Mwanza main market chairman Hamad Ncholla told The Citizen that the price of a kilogram of rice has risen from the range of Sh1,800 and Sh2,000 to Sh2,200 and Sh2,400.
“The prices of chickens have also shot up from the initial price ranging between Sh7,000 and Sh10,000 to between Sh14,000 and Sh20,000 depending on size. However, there are certain products like round potatoes and fruits that have maintained their previous prices,” said Mr Ncholla.
He also said that one kilogram of meat who was earlier being sold at Sh.5000/- or Sh.5500/- is now selling at Sh. 6500/- per kilogram or Sh. 7000/-
