The country’s consumer watchdog is warning all Public Motor Vehicle operators in NCD not to overcharge passengers above the current ICCC approved PMV fares or they will be prosecuted under the Prices Regulations Act and the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission Act 2002 (ICCC Act).
Under the Prices Regulations Act, the penalties range from;
- a fine not exceeding K600 or imprisonment of up to 6 months, if prosecuted at the District Court; and
- a fine not exceeding K3,000 or imprisonment of up to 2 years; if referred to a higher Court.
This comes following a number of complaints received and recorded at the ICCC office relate to PMVs charging above the ICCC approved fare of K0.90 for all routes in NCD. The reason for the overcharging is a result of the current road construction in various parts of the city causing traffic congestion.
ICCC Commissioner and CEO, Paulus Ain has also encouraged passengers to assist the ICCC by providing the following details to the ICCC office:
- Plate number of the bus;
- The particular route the offence occurred;
- The time of the day and the date the offence occurred;
- The name of the owner of the bus (written on the driver’s door);
- Any distinguishing descriptions of the bus; and
- Complainant’s name and contact details.
The above details can be provided by contacting the ICCC by telephone on 325 4615 or 325 2144, or drop by the ICCC Head office located on the 1st Floor of Garden City Building in Boroko and also through their social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.
“The ICCC will continue to monitor through its complaints help desk, those PMVs that are overcharging commuters during short trips on a route, particularly for routes 9 and 11 traveling from 4 Mile to Waigani and Gerehu.” said the ICCC Commissioner.
Commissioner Ain said that the ICCC has prosecuted offending PMVs in the past and will not hesitate to do so if this trend continues in the coming weeks.
PMV owners are urged to immediately cease charging above the ICCC approved rates.
