The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is reminding the public that the new bus fare structure announced earlier this month, has come into effect from today.

FCCC Chief Executive Joel Abraham says under the new structure, while student fares have been adjusted to align with adult fares, the Government has stepped in to fully subsidise this increase.

He adds to ensure that families are not burdened by the new fare structure, the FCCCs assessment took into account that any changes have zero financial impact on students and parents.

As such, he says the Government’s subsidy ensures that any additional cost for students is completely covered, even during weekends and school holidays, and the adult fare remains unchanged.

For those using the Blue Card, the Government will subsidise 100% of the additional student fare.

For those using the Yellow Card, students will continue to pay the current fare, with the remaining portion fully covered by the Government.

Abraham says this fare adjustment follows a comprehensive review conducted by the FCCC, which transitioned to a per-seat fare allocation model.

He adds their review, was conducted with close collaboration with bus industry operators, to ensure they receive fair compensation through a full cost allocation recovery model.

Abraham says this is aimed at sustaining the industry while maintaining affordability for consumers.

Abraham is stressing that with the new fare structure, bus operators must do their part to maintain and enhance service quality.

FCCC will begin the next bus fare review process in September 2024, starting with data gathering and comprehensive analysis to ensure that future fare adjustments continue to reflect current market conditions while balancing the interests of both consumers and the industry.