By Tṧeliso Tṧosane
The skyrocketing fuel prices have become a matter of a grave concern to the public transport industry as inflation continues to rise sharply.
The past two weeks saw the latest rise in fuel prices, which triggered an uproar from public transport operators, who demand the government to introduce a fuel subsidy.
According to the pricing, petrol 95 costs M18.55; petrol 93 M18.40; diesel 50 Ppm costs M18.85; and the retail price of domestic paraffin is M12 .55.
According to experts, the main contributing factor to the increase in fuel prices is the escalating political crisis between Russia and Ukraine which has led to a surge in the price of crude oil.
One of the local taxi drivers, Tṧepo Mopeli, told this publication this week that their business is in dire straits due to the major losses they incur on a daily basis. Mopeli said the industry is in profound hardships caused by the dreadful Covid-19 that caused many job losses, resulting in a decline in the numbers of passengers using public transportation. He said the rise in fuel prices is likely to bring the taxi industry to its knees as passengers might not afford to pay increased fares.
These sentiments were endorsed by Maseru Regional Transport Operators (MRTO) spokesperson, Lebohang Moea who described the rise in fuel prices as ‘a matter requiring urgent attention’.
He recalled that taxi operators had proposed to the road transport board to increase local taxi fares to M18, based on the expenses they incur.
He lamented that the prices of spare parts have also shot up, but circumstances force them to repair their cars in order to ensure safety of their passengers.
“I plead with the government to increase salaries of civil servants by a higher percent; and to ensure that textile workers also get a bigger increment so they can afford to pay,” he said
Meanwhile, traffic commissioner ‘Mathabo Tṧosane commented on these grievances by saying: “petrol inflation is an inevitable issue that happens unexpectedly, so as a ministry we cannot change fares based on that.”
She further said the government agreed to increase fees once a year so new fares will only come into force in October.
