Bus owners applied for an upward adjustment in fares in response to a rise in their operating costs, fueled mainly by increasing fuel prices.
During a public hearing last week, bus owners proposed that the fare for commuters be adjusted by Sh500 per route, suggesting that where commuters used to pay Sh400, they should now pay Sh900.But, announcing the new fare rate Latra Director General Mr Gilliard Ngewe said the new rate will come into effect after 14 days.
He said for urban buses from 0 to 10 Kilometers the passengers will pay Sh500 instead of 400 and those used to pay Sh450 will be Sh550 representing a 20 percent increase.
“For 30 Km the fare will be Sh850 instead of 750, for 35 Km will rise to Sh1000 and for the 40 km the fare will be 1100” said Ngewe.
He said for upcountry buses the ordinary bus for one Km has increased by 11 percent from Sh36 per kilometer to Sh41.
“For the semi luxury bus it has increased by six percent where a passenger will pay Sh56.88 per kilometer from Sh53” he said.