The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has declared the decision to increase local bus fares by bus operators as illegal and void.
RATSA Principal Publicity officer Mercy Mwila in a statement released to QFM News says while the Agency appreciates requests from two operators; Capital Buses and representatives of a group of luxury buses to vary their current Road Service Licences (RSL) for adjustment of bus fares by 6th May 2013, such a stipulated and concrete date for the desired increase can only be communicated after discussions have been held and concluded by all concerned stakeholders including the Ministry of Transport, Communications, Works and Supply.
Ms Mwila says Bus operators are aware of this regulation, which stipulates the conditions under which Road Service Licences are granted.
She points out that Subsection 12 (d) of Section 108 of the Road Traffic Act No. of 2002 underscores that “a person applying for a road service license, and a holder of such a licence applying for its variation, shall submit to the Director %u2013 the rate of fares of the proposed services”.
She says the regulation therefore entails that bus operators are under obligation to request the Director for variation of the current Road Service Licences or the terms and conditions under which licenses were granted.
Ms Mwila adds that the Agency has also received to vary the Road Service Licenses in a bid to increase bus fares from the intercity bus operators in which they are requesting to increase the fares by KR30.
She has since appealed passengers not to hesitate to call the Agency on 983 toll free line should they be charged be new fares before an agreement has been reached.
Meanwhile, the Agency expressed deep concern over some operators’ conduct, which have been revealed through the Joint National Road Traffic Enforcement Programme, where they have continued to operate without RSLs.
Ms Mwila says in some cases, these operators have continued to disrespect passenger safety including overloading, abandoning passengers and the vehicles, leaving the Agency with no option but incur expenses of towing the vehicles to safer venues.
She has warned all operators that it is against the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 to operate outside the Act and any operator found will be dealt with severely in a bid to safe-guard the lives of passengers and other road users.
This is good Ms Mwila. I have also observed that these associations have been disrespecting the govt and other stakeholders. We know that some of these operators have been working with the former govt then MMD and are trying to frustrate the efforts of the current govt. With the new govt today the business is hard for them because before their buses were not impounded when MMD was in govt even when their buses had defects. They were so powerful that they could even control the police and the president then. How can Ishamail kankara go on TV before they agree with other stake holder? Where is the Mr SATA we used to know to sort such people who are blocking development in Zambia? These are just associations pls just dismantle them simple as that. Zambians lets work together supt Mr SATA.
To say price hikes are illegal is to say the fuel price increase is illegal. The price hikes have been necessitated by the fuel price. Very soon we shall be seeing other price hikes in commodities.