Mixed Response to Bus Fare Cut in Osh

The city council in the southern city of Osh has ordered cuts to fares on public transport, but bus drivers are unhappy.

Mixed Response to Bus Fare Cut in Osh

The city council in the southern city of Osh has ordered cuts to fares on public transport, but bus drivers are unhappy.

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Saturday, 11 April, 2009
Bus fares are falling from five soms (about 12 US cents) to four, while the privately-operated “marshrutkas” or shared minibus taxis are being told to cut prices from eight to five soms.



City councils reason that since fares went up in line with oil prices last year, it is only reasonable they should come down again as petrol and diesel imports get cheaper – one of the few blessings of the global economic crisis.



Pensioners and other vulnerable groups have welcomed the move, but marshrutka drivers, in particular, warn that it could put them out of business.



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