Golden Arrow hikes fares by 7%: 'It's the lowest we can afford'
Bus fares will be going up by 7% from next month.
FILE: Golden Arrow buses parked at the Cape Town bus terminal. Pictures: Bertram Malgas/Eyewitness News
Clarence Ford speaks to Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, Golden Arrow Spokesperson.
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
Golden Arrow passengers will have to brace themselves for higher fares starting next month.
From 1 April, commuters will be charged 7% more to use the bus service.
ALSO READ:
'It’s unacceptable that criminals target people trying to work' – Golden Arrow
WC government and Golden Arrow team up to aid jobseekers with free transport
Dyke-Beyer says that this was calculated through the Department of Mobility to determine what the service needs to cover operational expenses.
She says according to the calculation, they would need an increase of around 30% to cover costs, and this is the lowest increase they can offer.
“7% may seem high but it's certainly not enough to cover our actual costs.”
- Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, Golden Arrow Spokesperson
“We always try to keep that increase as low as we can but also ensure that we are able to sustain our business.”
- Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, Golden Arrow Spokesperson
As the input costs have been increasing significantly, she says that the need to raise prices is in order to keep services running without straining the customers too much.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.