Residents of Port Moresby have queried the legitimacy of PMV fare increases, fees which continue to be charged following the recent Pacific Games.
Fare increases were put in place for the Pacific Games due to the limited number of PMVs which were to the general public, with PMV operators today giving no indication that fees will return to the levels they were at just three weeks ago.
For the short trip from Boroko to Gordons operators are currently charging K1, a 200% increase from the pre-games fare of 50 toea.
“We used to pay just 50 toea, but now having to pay K1 is far too much for such a short journey,” said PMV commuter Arifeae Farapo.
“I asked one of the crew members about the fare, and he said that the increase occurred during the games period and they weren’t changing it back.”
At present, PMV users can travel on the much longer trip of Gerehu to Boroko, also for K1.
The Independent Consumer and Competition Commition (ICCC) were approached for comment on these allegations, however they were unaware of PMV drivers charging increased fares.
In the ICCC’s recent review of PMV and Taxi fares, the commission indicated that they were “aware that most PMV operators [were] charging above the maximum fares.”
This apparent over-charging comes just weeks after several PMVs and taxis were damaged, and a child injured, following a passenger revolt due to earlier over-charging throughout the month of June.
Mi Ripot submitted by Arifeae Farapo.
