Fuel price surge upsets PMV owners

 By YVONNE HAIP

HIGHLANDS Highway travellers are expected to be hit with fare increases applied arbitrarily by Western Highlands public motor vehicle operators effective today.

It was expected the fare increase would have a trickle-down effect in other provinces as operators take stock of their operations in light of increased costs of fuel in the recent days.

Parts of the Highlands Highway in Western Highlands were blocked off last Friday morning as PMV operators protested the increase in fuel prices by parking their buses along the sides of roads.

As early as 7am, PMV operators parked their buses along the highway in Kudjip and Kindeng in Anglimp-South Waghi, and demanded an increase in bus fares due to the hike in fuel costs.

Last Thursday, another section of the road at Keltiga, just outside Mt Hagen, was also blocked.

Commuters, especially students and the working public, were hard hit by this as they were left stranded and turned up late for classes and work.

David Tasman, the owner of several PMVs servicing the Mt Hagen-Banz route, said due to the rising cost of fuel, fares imposed on passengers had to be increased.

He said additional costs for vehicle maintenance, loan repayments and other expenses were amounting, and PMV operators and struggling small businesses were suffering.

He said the increase from K3.50 to K4 per litre was a total rip off for PMV operators compared to the amount of fares the passengers were paying.

He said all PMV operators were providing a very worthy service but had been lenient long enough and it was time they increase the fares.

He said the operators would now increase the fares from K4 to K5 for those travelling to Banz, Kudjip K4 and Kindeng K3.

Other centres in the province would also increase their fares and this is expected to be effective today, he said.

Tasman said the increase at the pumps was a flow on effect of global energy demand and supply and it, in turn, triggered the increase in fares which would affect the travelling public. 

He also called on the government to look into the matter.

Since crude oil is a globally traded commodity, demand and supply determinants in the major regions around the world, the value of the US dollar and other geo-political tensions in oil producing nations will cause prices to change at any time in the future.