In an attempt to take advantage of the free movement period, passengers ended up surprised by the change in prices.
Photography: Alberto Pedro | November Editions
People intended to take advantage of the two days (yesterday and today) granted for inter-provincial circulation, in light of the extension of the State of Emergency. The Jornal de Angola reporting team toured some parts of Viana and adjacent areas and found that some bases were closed and others were working in a disorderly manner.
At the AFC Cris Travel Agency, the supervisor of the transport base, António Congo, revealed that the company normally travels to the provinces of Malanje, Huambo and Bié, now charging 6,500 kwanzas. Before, the price varied between 3,500 and 4,000. The supervisor explained that there was a decrease in passengers due to preventive measures against Covid-19. For this reason, “there was a need to change prices, to offset costs”.
He explains that, on a trip to Malanje, for example, the bus is fueled with about 50 thousand kwanzas, just for one way. “If the car carries half the passengers, there is no profit.” He added that, on average, the bus has a capacity for 33 passengers, but at this time, due to the State of Emergency, it can only take 13. Charging 4,000 Kwanzas, would give 52 thousand, a value that already exceeds the costs with fuel and others during the travel.
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