HON. A. NDEBELE: When Government was in the thick of things in the provision of public transport, we noticed that the fares were fairly affordable to the ordinary man. What measures have been put in place to ensure that the status quo remains, even when the entire spectrum has been opened to private players because affordability is a real issue in this economy?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker and Hon. Ndebele for the question. We have tried to put a lid on the charges; we have tried to control the fares that are being charged. We give a leeway of plus or minus what the transporters can charge. We also have to bear in mind that these people are also in business to make money. So we cannot really say they cannot charge an affordable fare to the public. At the same time, we also have to protect the masses and that is what ZUPCO is there to do. What we have done is that we have made choices more available; one can choose to wait for ZUPCO or to try to go and board a bus. We are going to try and control the fares but we are limited to a certain extend.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker. In the Eighth Parliament, Government through the gold finger or the Hon. Minister of Finance, gave to the mass transport bus operators, a 100 bus cap to be introduced or imported on a 5% duty. Government went further in the Ninth Parliament to give 100% duty free importation to bus operators. Could it please the Minister to remind the bus operators that Government has actually given them the opportunity to make money by removing duty on the buses; they can extend that hand to the masses for an effective, efficient, resilient and robust mass transport system which is both cheap and affordable to the masses.
Would it please the Minister to remind the bus operators to actually give a hand that they have been offered by Government on the importation of buses on a duty free platform?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Hon. Speaker and Hon. Nduna. What you have said is exactly what we try to make sure that we put in the formulation when we were trying to come up with a cap for the increases in the fares. We try to remind the transporters and I think they are taking heed. I thank you.
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