Reduction in fuel price meaningless – Caritas Chipata
By Staff Reporter
Caritas Chipata has described the reduction in the fuel pump prices by the Energy Regulation Board (EBR) as meaningless as it is too minimal to influence prices of goods and services.
And some public bus drivers have vowed never to reduce bus fares with the 0.86 ngwee reduction on the fuel pump price by ERB last week.
Caritas Chipata governance coordinator, John Mthaziko Zulu in an interview said the reduction is too minimal and that public service providers will not reduce prices of goods and services.
He said service providers would not reduce prices of commodities, stating that ERB should have offered significant reductions.
“Am calling on government to advise service providers in the transport sector and others to reduce their prices so that the reduction brings a positive impact on consumers,” said Zulu.
And Penias Banda, a minibus driver said the reduction would have no impact as the 0.86 ngwee reduction was too little to trigger changes in commodity pricing.
Banda said it was going to be better for government to just leave it the way it was than mocking Zambians with such a little reduction.
“We are very much surprised that when increasing the price, the increment will go up by two and three kwacha and when reducing its only ngwee more on petrol. Government should tell us why are they treating us like this,” said Banda
Meanwhile, John Mulenga said the reduction will greatly affect their work as customers will be demanding for reduction in the fares as only 0.86 was reduced to petrol and majority of the busses are petrol engines.
“They should reduce further the prices of fuel because what they have done is mocking us, drivers and Zambians at large. If the reduction was going to be with a K1.50, it would have helped both drivers and passengers,” said Mulenga.
Last week ERB Board chairman Raymond Mpundu announced a reduced in fuel pump prices by 0.86 ngwee for Petrol and K1.22 ngwee for diesel.
The new prices are K15.20 for petrol from K16.06, K13.43 for diesel from k14.65 and K15.72 for low sulphur gas from 16.94, while the price of litre of Kerosene has remained unchanged at K11.34.
