South Sudan General Transport Workers Trade Union has described the ‘unilateral decision’ by drivers to increase public transport fees recently was wrong.

This comes as the Public Transport Drivers’ Union in Juba reportedly increased fleet service fares last week, citing the hike in fuel price.

In recent days, members of the public have decried a 100-pound increment of bus fares in the capital, Juba.

Mr Simon Lasu who is the Chairperson of the South Sudan General Transport Workers Trade Union acknowledged the rise in fuel prices in the county.

However, he says, such a decision is the core responsibility of the Central Equatoria State Assembly and Juba City Council, not the drivers.

“Transport pricing is supposed to be from the state council of each state that is their work, they will sit with the public transport union after they listen to their concern as the union then they will come out with the decision,” said Lasu.

“The pricing is the government decision, but what happened now is all the drivers have their own price, so now the council need to make a direct intervention and conduct a meeting with the drivers’ union so that they see how they can addressee the mater,” he said.

Lasu is urging the drivers and concerned authorities to look into the matter to alleviate the suffering of ordinary citizens.

He adds that the national government to intervene and subsidize fuel prices to minimize the transport fee hikes.

“I wish that the government will come up with a proper plan and allocate some petrol stations with lower prices and that petrol stations be used only by the public transport so that they cannot raise the price on their own,” Lasu said.

“As the government to have control over the matter, so if I give the fuel with a particular price you can’t raise the price, this is where the government can have control of the issue,” he said.

“I hope our state governments and their cities councils sit down with public transport drivers and look into the issue and cooperate with them so that our people move in a good way .”

The Juba City Council and Drivers Union are yet to comment on the bus fare changes.