Motorists Prefer To Sleep In Queues Than Buy Forex Fuel
While fuel is generally readily available at fuel service stations selling the product in foreign currency, motorists prefer to join long queues at service stations selling fuel in local currency.
This comes as the exchange rate continued to shoot through the roof on the parallel market, making service stations selling in local currency three times cheaper than those charging in foreign currency.
The development has also forced some service stations selling fuel in foreign currency to reduce their prices.
Motorists say they would rather sleep in queues to buy fuel from filling stations selling in domestic currency compared and save whatever little forex they have. A resident of Bulawayo told the Chronicle:
I don’t earn foreign currency and equally, I don’t have money to buy forex because of the ridiculous rates.
Whatever forex that is in my purse, I am reserving it for emergency situations such as medications and other pertinent issues, but certainly not to buy fuel.
I would rather sleep in the queue to buy fuel from service stations that sell in local currency because that is what I can afford.
As of Tuesday, the exchange rate at the parallel market was US$1:$60 via electronic transfers and US$1:45 for cash transactions in Bulawayo.
Meanwhile, some fuel service stations selling fuel in foreign currency have slashed the price of petrol from US$1.33 to US$1.05 in a bid to attract customers.
