Stranded commuters in the North point finger at Nabta

HUNDREDS of people who went to the North to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their relatives and friends are struggling to get transport back to the regions where they are working or studying.

Most of them were supposed to return to work on Monday, and children have to be back in school today. They have been waiting at bus depots since Friday and fear losing their jobs.People are blaming the Namibian Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) for not having enough buses to meet the demand for transport at this time of the year.Passengers have told The Namibian that some bus owners are asking more than the standard bus fare of N$105 to Windhoek.Some are asking between N$150 and N$200, they said.But bus drivers approached for comment said they were not charging these high fares.They say passengers are offering more than the asking price to secure seats on buses.”If they offer us that amount… well, we are going to take that money,” said one driver who did not want his name published.Nabta President Magnus Nangombe said the association was aware of the problem, but could not provide more buses on the routes from the North.Nangombe blamed the situation on people who do not plan their journeys properly.”When people working in the South go on leave to the North…they don’t all go together but in different groups on different days.But when they go back, there is a problem because they all want to travel on the same day and there are definitely not enough buses for them all on the same day,” he said.According to Nangombe, bus owners cannot buy more buses to meet the peak demand at this time of year, because for the rest of the year they struggle to get enough customers.He said, however, that the Association would meet to discuss what could be done to avoid this situation in future.Nangombe also called upon bus owners to employ two drivers for each bus so that the buses can run around the clock during peak traffic periods.He warned bus owners and drivers not to charge more than the standard fares set by Nabta.They have been waiting at bus depots since Friday and fear losing their jobs.People are blaming the Namibian Bus and Taxi Association (Nabta) for not having enough buses to meet the demand for transport at this time of the year.Passengers have told The Namibian that some bus owners are asking more than the standard bus fare of N$105 to Windhoek.Some are asking between N$150 and N$200, they said.But bus drivers approached for comment said they were not charging these high fares.They say passengers are offering more than the asking price to secure seats on buses.”If they offer us that amount… well, we are going to take that money,” said one driver who did not want his name published.Nabta President Magnus Nangombe said the association was aware of the problem, but could not provide more buses on the routes from the North.Nangombe blamed the situation on people who do not plan their journeys properly.”When people working in the South go on leave to the North…they don’t all go together but in different groups on different days.But when they go back, there is a problem because they all want to travel on the same day and there are definitely not enough buses for them all on the same day,” he said.According to Nangombe, bus owners cannot buy more buses to meet the peak demand at this time of year, because for the rest of the year they struggle to get enough customers.He said, however, that the Association would meet to discuss what could be done to avoid this situation in future.Nangombe also called upon bus owners to employ two drivers for each bus so that the buses can run around the clock during peak traffic periods.He warned bus owners and drivers not to charge more than the standard fares set by Nabta.