By Matovu A. Twaha http://gulftoday.ae
BARELY two months after the bus fare between Dubai and Sharjah was hiked from Dhs5 to Dhs7, Ajman Public Transport Corporation (APTC) has followed suit by raising fares on the Ajman-Sharjah route from Dhs3 to Dhs4.
One of the APTC officials had confirmed to an Arabic daily that the raise in fare “kept in mind the low-income people that we serve in the suburbs and avenues of the Emirate.”
APTC, he said, is running buses between Ajman and Sharjah with a bus capacity of up to 28 passengers.
Meanwhile, the official revealed that Ajman Public Transport Corporation will soon add to its fleet new vans, each with a capacity of 14 passengers which will transfer passengers between the districts of the city, in addition to the 12-seater seven vans within Ajman and Sharjah.
The raise in the fare has come almost a month after taxi fares in Dubai have been hiked by 11fils per kilometre.
On the other hand, barely two months ago, Sharjah-Dubai bus route was raised from Dhs5 to Dhs7 followed by Dubai-Ajman route, which was raised from Dhs7 to Dhs10.
Earlier, in Sharjah, the minimum taxi fare were hiked to Dhs10 on Oct.1, 2010, citing rise in fuel price as well as operational costs, something that raised a furore among the commuters and the drivers as well.
The development led to an on-and-off strike by the agitated drivers because along with an increase in flag-fall, they had 52fils deducted off their earning per kilometre.
The authorities argue that the franchise companies asked for the increase in order to reach breakeven.
Sharjah Transport Corporation (STC) authorities have said they do not intend to raise the fare from the current Dhs5.
“Until now, no. We are still charging the same amount,” said the Corporate Communication Manager, Saed Abdullah Al Buraimi.
