The recent Golden Arrow price hike is burning a hole in commuters’ pockets. The bus service recently announced that it would be increasing its fares by 8% starting next week.
The escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, along with rising fuel costs have been listed as a few of the reasons for the latest fare increase.
“The diesel price has increased by 81% in the last 18 months, and current projections predict that fuel prices will continue to soar. This has knock-on effects across our supply chain,” said Golden Arrow spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer.
However, Cape Town residents who rely on the bus service are not at all happy with one commuter calling the increase “ridiculous.”
Speaking to News24, one Golden Arrow user noted that while fares continue to increase, work salaries remain the same.
“We might as well quit our jobs at the rate things are going. All we’re working for is money to get to work,” she said.
“They then just increased their fares not too long ago, now another price hike. That does not sit well with me,” another stated.
With countless unemployed Capetonians utilising the bus service to get to job interviews or attend university, the price hike may be a little out of their price range, placing many in a difficult situation.
Unfortunately, Golden Arrow has warned that another price hike may be imminent. While they only implement one increase per year, the company now finds itself in the very difficult position of having to find the balance between what is affordable for their passengers and what is needed to compensate for unrelenting cost increases across operations.
Also read:
Another fuel hike could come as early as the first week of April
Picture: Cape {town} Etc Gallery