Bus fares to go up.

16 Jul, 2008

Bus fares are set to rise by up to 26 per cent across the country on 1 August as a result of growing fuel and vehicle operating costs and inflation.

Under the new fare structure journeys in urban areas will cost between Tsh300 and Tsh600 depending on the distance travelled according to the Surface and Marine Transportation Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA), which announced the new rates. This compares with the current minimum of Tsh250 and maximum of Tsh400. Students will be charged a standard rate of Tsh100 rather than the current Tsh50 until the end of this year, after which they will have to pay half the adult fare.

Instead on long-haul passenger routes ordinary buses will charge Tsh30 per kilometre on surfaced roads and Tsh37 per kilometres on unsurfaced roads, while semi luxury buses will charge Tsh42 per kilometre and luxury buses Tsh52 per kilometre.

On the popular 676 km Dar es Salaam-Arusha route