Following
the announcement of fuel price reductions by the Energy Regulatory Authority
(ARENE), residents of Nacala are urging the relevant authorities to also
consider reducing the prices of semi-colective transport, both within the city
and for inter-district routes.
In
this context, traveling between districts has become a luxury, as the distance
from Nacala to Nampula city is 200 km, with the cost of the chapa fare set at
350 MT. The Nacala-Porto to Nacala-a-Velha route, covering 30 km, costs 50 MT,
while internal transport, such as the journey from the lower city to the
Matibane intersection or from the upper city to Praia Fernão Veloso—both routes
covering 20 km—has increased from 10 MT to 15 MT. As a result, residents feel
compelled to request a reduction in transport fares.
Several
residents, interviewed on the morning of Friday, February 21, shared their
thoughts “We've endured enough; it's time for a change. Nearly three years of
rising fuel and transport costs have made traveling from Nacala to Nampula a
luxury. 350 MT one way is too much. The city-to-city fare, from the Juma Market
to Praia Fernão Veloso, costs 30 MT for just 15 km. We ask that the fares be
reduced, as fuel has already decreased, and a reduction of 4 MT would be
sufficient,” said Mr. Paulino Juma Anrane, a resident of Nacala.
Mrs.
Saidata Carlos also commented: “I know it will be very difficult for the
transporters to accept a price reduction, but it needs to happen. We have
suffered a lot with the high chapa prices, to the point where it’s frightening
to make a trip.”
During
the same interviews, some semi-colective transporters acknowledged the
government’s initiative to reduce fuel prices, especially diesel, and explained
that speculation and price reductions are not controlled by a single person but
rather by a group that sets and fixes the price tables.
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