General

MANZINI – Travelling to cities in neighbouring countries costs more as the Swaziland Interstate Transport Association (SITA) implemented a 7-8 per cent increase in bus fares.

The most travelled route connecting Manzini with South Africa now costs E370, an increase of E20 from E350. In the same vein, a trip to Johannesburg from Mbabane costs E340, an increase of E20 from E320.

Travelling to Durban from Manzini now costs E390, reflecting an increase of E20 from E370. Travelling to Maputo has increased from E130 to 150.

The vehicles travelling these routes are Toyota Quantum loading 15 passengers as well as Sprinter and IVECO buses loading between 22 and 24 passengers, depending on the size of the vehicle.

The increase comes at a time when the local public transport associations are also clamouring for an increase in bus fares, expected to reach as high as 50 per cent.

The increase came into effect in December last year and the SITA is embarking on a campaign to make the new fees structure known to customers.

A notice announcing the increase states: “We regret to advise that due to ever increasing costs of running the business, we have no alternative but to review fares with immediate effect from December 2025.”

SITA Rank Manager Gift Mabuza said the increase has been necessitated by the increase in commodities over the past years, which has eroded the industry’s profitability.

Mabuza said the interstate fares were last increased in 2020 before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “For all these years, we have been struggling with shrinking profitability as the costs of operation in this industry have increased exponentially,” he said.

Mabuza said the industry was also affected by reduction in travellers. In the former years, he said as many as 13 vehicles would leave the country for Durban but, now, only three or four kombis leave per day.

He said he had no clues why so many people have opted not to use public transport to travel to SA and Mozambican cities.

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50 per cent local increase still in pipeline

MANZINI – Secretary General of the Swaziland Local Kombi Association (SLKA) Ambrose Dlamini said the increase in bus fares locally is still pending and will be implemented this year.

Dlamini said currently, they have long expressed their increase to increase fares to government.

“Unlike the Swaziland Interstate Transport Association, we have to go through many stages to have the bus fares increased locally.”

He said they have to first agree on the percentage and amounts to be increased before forwarding this to government. Government would then invite members of the public to make their own inputs in the proposed increase.

After this, government has to take the proposed increase to Parliament. It is Parliament which will give us the clear directive to effect the increase,” he said.

He said in one of the proposed increases, a local trip which initially cost E10 will now be E15, reflecting a 50 per cent increase. However, this does not imply that all trips will be increased by 50 per cent across the board.

*Full article available on Pressreader*

One of the cross- border vehicles leaving the Oshoek Border Gate. However, this does not mean the people in the picture are related to the article. (File Pic)