The Municipal Assembly of the city of Nampula has recently approved a new fare for semi-collective passenger transport, commonly known as “chapas”, setting the price per trip at 20 meticais.
According to Rádio Moçambique, the decision was announced during an extraordinary session of the municipal assembly, in a move that comes amid growing pressure on urban transport operating costs in the provincial capital.
The president of the Nampula Municipal Council, Luís Giquira, clarified that the measure should not be interpreted as a direct fare increase, but rather as a reorganisation of the pricing system applied to semi-collective transport.
According to the mayor, the revision aims to adjust the sector’s operational model and improve the management of services provided to passengers. However, the decision may have a direct impact on daily urban mobility costs for thousands of users who depend on “chapas” as their main means of transport in the city.
In recent years, transport operators have complained about high operating costs, mainly driven by rising fuel prices, vehicle maintenance expenses and the cost of spare parts. Semi-collective transport remains the main mode of urban mobility in several Mozambican cities, including Nampula, playing a central role in connecting peripheral neighbourhoods with commercial areas.
The fuel crisis in Nampula comes at a time of strong pressure on urban transport and operating costs, which has recently led to the approval of the new “chapas” fare in the city.
In recent days, long queues and temporary fuel shortages have affected mobility and local supply, although the government says the situation could stabilise in the coming days with the arrival of new shipments from the Nacala offshore terminal.
Source: Diário Económico
