Cape commuters to pay more from April
2012-03-29 19:12
Cape Town - Western Cape train commuters will pay R1 more for all local single trips from April, Metrorail said on Thursday.
The train company said fares were being increased for the second time in nine years.
It would cost R2 more for return tickets, between R8 and R14 more for weekly tickets and R24 to R42 more for a monthly ticket.
Regional manager Mthuthuzeli Swartz said it made sense to buy a weekly or a monthly ticket, as commuters ended up receiving more trips than they paid for.
He said there was no other option than to raise fares as the cost of running trains had soared.
"Our current funding pot consisting of government subsidy allotment and fare box does not cover operational cost."
An increase in the cost of energy had forced price increases.
A spate of vandalism had also caused maintenance costs to skyrocket.