Bus commuters should brace themselves for a fare increase of 7% next month.
Golden Arrow Bus Services says it can no longer absorb rising costs across its supply chain.
The company must therefore increase fares by an average of 7% from the first of April.
GABS Spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer says the increase should have happened in December already but they’ve delayed the standard year-end increase as they understood the economic plight of commuters.
The GABS Gold Cards, which is a once-off purchase, are still priced at R35 while the price for pensioners’ products also remains unchanged.
Automobile Association spokesperson, Layton Beard, said a 7% increase in bus fare was in line with inflation.
“I think a lot of this has to do with the price of fuel increasing. This is not great for consumers as salary and wages stay the same but everything else goes up. People at this point cannot stretch their budget in a very dire situation,” he said.
CEO of operations at the Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa), Martlé Keyter, said commuters had to bear the brunt of the 7% increase, however, she also understood Gabs’ predicament.
“Statistics show that South African families are under heavy strain due to the unchanged interest rate, increase in the fuel price, persistent load shedding, increasing food inflation to name but a few,” she said.
“For a union like Misa, the preservation of jobs is of utmost importance. It is either to increase fares or possible job losses, which cannot be allowed in South Africa with its unacceptably high unemployment rate,” she said. Among the increases are:
• Cash price from Atlantis to Cape Town will increase from R47 to R50.50.
• Cash price from Cape Town to Mitchells Plain will increase from R40 to R43.
• Cash price from Cape Town to Wynberg will increase from R23 to R24.50.
Meyer said the Gabs interim operating contract with the provincial government made provision for adjustments to fares to offset operational cost increases.
“This increase is not only unavoidable but essential to ensure that Golden Arrow is able to remain sustainable and to maintain the same exceptional level of services which 96% of passengers would recommend to friends and family.”
For more details on the price hike, call 0800 65 64 63.