Rumonge : public transport drivers demand an increase in fares

In the province of Rumonge, located in southwest Burundi, bus and taxi drivers are calling for an increase in transport fares. According to them, the prolonged fuel shortage is forcing them to work at a loss.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Owners of public transport vehicles denounce heavy losses they are suffering due to this situation. “Transport vehicles are extremely expensive. A bus costs around 210 million Burundi francs, not including customs clearance fees. As for spare parts, their prices are increasing every day,” explains one of them.

Costs associated with operating these vehicles continue to increase. “The costs of administrative documents have been significantly increased. In addition, a 20-liter can of fuel oil purchased on the black market costs more than 400,000 francs,” adds the transporter. Officially, it costs 80,000 francs.
According to them, these exorbitant costs justify the need to review transport rates.

A request addressed to the government

Drivers are asking the government to adapt the price of transport tickets to the current situation. They consider that the officially set rates no longer reflect the reality on the ground, particularly due to the surge in fuel prices on the black market.

However, administration and police authorities of Rumonge are threatening to sanction transporters who exceed the official rates. Fines ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 francs are regularly imposed on those who charge prices deemed excessive. This situation exacerbates tensions between transporters and local authorities.

The reality of the fuel shortage

For drivers, it is impossible to respect official rates as long as the fuel shortage persists. “We buy fuel on the black market, where a liter and a half of gasoline or fuel oil costs between 35,000 and 40,000 francs,” they explain.

Traders who smuggle fuel are labelled criminals by the authorities, who accuse them of harming the national economy. In his 2024 end-of-year speech, President Évariste Ndayishimiye authorised administration, police and judicial authorities to deal with these fraudsters with the utmost severity.

Contested measures

The president believes that repression is the best strategy to stop fuel fraud. However, transporters consider this approach to be ineffective as long as the shortage persists. They call for a lasting solution that takes into account the economic and social realities they face.

The fuel crisis continues to put the transport sector under strain, with significant economic and social consequences for transporters and their customers.

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Passengers wait for a bus in the main parking lot in the town center of Rumonge in southwestern Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)