Zimbabweans were really upset yesterday when they wanted to travel for the holidays. That's because most bus companies raised their prices by more than 50%. They did this to make more money since lots of people want to travel right now.
The economy in Zimbabwe is doing pretty badly these days. Their money, called the Zimbabwe Gold or ZiG, isn't worth as much as it used to be. Back in April, one US dollar was equal to about 13 ZiG. But now in December, it takes almost 26 ZiG to get one US dollar.
This means that the ZiG has lost nearly half its value in just a few months. And that's making prices go up for everything, even though most people aren't getting paid any more than before.
For example, a bus ride from Harare to a town called Marondera used to cost 3 US dollars. But now it costs 6 dollars. And going to another city, Mutare, jumped from 10 dollars to 20 dollars.
Lots of folks who talked to the newspaper were really frustrated by this. They said they wanted to go visit family for the holidays but now they can't afford it.
The head of a group that represents passengers said the high prices are because so many people want to travel right now. But he also said not every bus company raised their rates, so it's a good idea to check prices before making plans.
It's not just bus fares either. The price of basic foods like sugar, cooking oil and rice have also gone up a lot if you're paying with ZiG. One man said his salary in ZiG isn't enough now to buy food for his family because everything costs so much more all of a sudden.
The economy in Zimbabwe is doing pretty badly these days. Their money, called the Zimbabwe Gold or ZiG, isn't worth as much as it used to be. Back in April, one US dollar was equal to about 13 ZiG. But now in December, it takes almost 26 ZiG to get one US dollar.
This means that the ZiG has lost nearly half its value in just a few months. And that's making prices go up for everything, even though most people aren't getting paid any more than before.
For example, a bus ride from Harare to a town called Marondera used to cost 3 US dollars. But now it costs 6 dollars. And going to another city, Mutare, jumped from 10 dollars to 20 dollars.
Lots of folks who talked to the newspaper were really frustrated by this. They said they wanted to go visit family for the holidays but now they can't afford it.
The head of a group that represents passengers said the high prices are because so many people want to travel right now. But he also said not every bus company raised their rates, so it's a good idea to check prices before making plans.
It's not just bus fares either. The price of basic foods like sugar, cooking oil and rice have also gone up a lot if you're paying with ZiG. One man said his salary in ZiG isn't enough now to buy food for his family because everything costs so much more all of a sudden.
