Following the rise in fuel prices at gas stations, bus fare in Bujumbura town and in the countryside has increased. The price of transport in Bujumbura neighbourhoods has increased from BIF 350 to BIF 380. The lack of BIF 10 and 20 bills causes problems.
Downtown bus station for Bujumbura northern direction
Drivers met in town complain about the scarcity of small denomination notes. Due to the lack of BIF 10 and 20 bills, they charge BIF 400 per passenger and this provokes quarrels between passengers and bus drivers. “Our work has become a daily quarrel”, says a driver met at the bus station downtown.
“Some passengers want to continue to pay BIF 350 arguing that they can’t pay BIF 400. It is hard to avoid quarrel without losing”, said a conductor met downtown adding that it’s all due to the lack of small denomination banknotes.
Some drivers call on the government to increase bus fare to BIF 400 arguing that this would solve the problem as low-value bills aren’t currently on the market. They also say the rise in fuel price is higher.
As for passengers, they complain saying that conductors should try their best to make those lacking banknotes available for exchange and respect the price set by the government. “I cannot pay a sum higher than the one fixed by the government”, says Anicet, a citizen met at the north bus station in Bujumbura city centre.
The secretary general of the Association of Burundian Drivers (ATRABU), Charles Ntirampeba, asks drivers to respect the price fixed by the government and requests them to go and search for small-denomination banknotes in the central bank.
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