Since January 21, the government has hastily augmented Zupco's much-depleted fleet


But since January 21, the government has hastily augmented Zupco's much-depleted fleet.

An AFP team took a ride on one such bus to Budiriro.

An armed soldier and an armed policeman sat in the front rows. Another stood in the aisle.

"We just boarded the bus and paying $3 has come to an end," said one pleased passenger, Nomatter Nyakurwa.

Zimbabweans have in recent months seen prices spiral -- up to fourfold in some instances.

Inflation is officially at 42 percent, the highest in a decade, but in reality it is far higher.

"Prices have increased two, three times and these are the prices we see daily in the shops," said independent economist Persistence Gwanyanya.

- Highest inflation in a decade -

The cost of living has been rising at a rate unseen in the landlocked country since the meltdown in 2008 when hyperinflation forced the government to trash its own currency.

The government said the reintroduction of the state-run commuter services was to bring order to an industry dominated by kombis for decades.





After a shock hike in the price of fuel, angry protesters took to the streets


Government workers have also threatened to down tools if their demands for better salaries are not met.

The deadline for government to comply expired Friday.

Economists warn that if government bows to the civil servants' demands, the economy could suffer even more serious inflationary pressures.

"The elephant in the room at the moment is the exchange rate," said Gwanyanya, blaming the government for excessive expenditure.

If the exchange rate is not managed properly, "we are going to see this economy getting deeper and deeper into challenges and instability", he said.

Ousted President Robert Mugabe in 2016 introduced a quasi currency called bond notes, which is officially pegged at the same rate as the dollar -- but in real terms is worth around a third of the dollar.