Eswatini bus fares on short routes rise 25% from 16 November
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Times of Eswatini
New bus fares will take effect at midnight on Monday 16 November 2026, after Parliament approved regulations amending the maximum bus and taxi fares. Fares on short routes rise by 25%, according to the secretary general of the local transport association, Musa Dlamini, quoted by the Times of Eswatini.
Bus fares on short routes rise by 25% in Eswatini from midnight on Monday 16 November 2026, according to the Times of Eswatini. The new fares were approved by Parliament under the Maximum Bus and Taxi Fares (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, and operators must display a seven-day notice before applying the increase.
For the first 8 kilometres, the fare rises from E10 to E12.50. Between 8 and 50 kilometres, the price rises from 70 to 77 cents per kilometre. Long journeys, beyond 50 kilometres, rise by 10%, to 72.60 cents per kilometre from 66 cents previously. These increases affect people who use public transport to get to work, school or their business.
The secretary general of the Swaziland Local Transport Association, Musa Dlamini, said operators had to follow the regulatory procedure before charging the new fares. A passenger, Temcwasho Masilela, would like the implementation postponed to 1 December, when salaried workers will have received their monthly pay. He believes the increase comes at a time when users already have to adjust their monthly budgets. This new increase follows the 38.46% rise announced in October for certain public transport services.
