The Municipal Council of the City of Beira said Tuesday that the increase in the price of transport is hostage to the approval of the central government, on the second day of the strike promoted by carriers in that city.
“Right now, what we have to say is that the document is already in the Ministry of State Administration,” Flora Mpula, councilor for the area of transport and communications of the Municipal Council of the City of Beira, told the media.
According to Flora Mpula, the new table has already been approved by the autarchy and, after its presentation to the central government, the law establishes that the process must take at least 45 days.
“If in 45 days we do not have an answer, it is that they have already authorized us,” added the official.
The transport crisis that the city of Beira is going through began on Monday, when buses and ‘chapas’, light vehicles improvised as urban collective transport, stopped again demanding the revision of the price of transport in the city.
The proposal increases the price of transport from 10 meticals (0.15 euros) to 15 meticals (0.23 euros) for journeys within the city and 25 meticalis (0.29 euros) for journeys outside the city.
Américo Mussicuane, president of the Beira Carriers Association (ATABE), which called the protest, advanced the possibility of carriers resuming operations from Wednesdayafter a meeting with the Ministry of Transport and the Municipal Council.
With public transport vehicles backed up against bus terminals, the action caused flooding at stops, forcing many workers and students to walk to their destination.
Last week, the Federation of Mozambican Road Transport Associations (Fematro) asked the government for a automatic transport price adjustment mechanismwith the aim of ending uncertainty in relation to setting the rate and the viability of the activity.
Fematro’s proposal arose as a result of a spontaneous stoppage of public transport moved by “chapeiros”, passenger transport vans, in the city and province of Maputo, due to the new increase in fuel prices.
Mozambican Ministry of Transport and Communications Compensation and subsidies promised to carriers to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices in Mozambique.
Source: Observadora
