Ouagadougou: Seventeen road transport companies in Burkina Faso have been ordered to pay a total of nearly 115 million FCFA to the public treasury after unilaterally increasing their fares without prior authorization. This move comes as part of a joint decree signed by Ministers Emile Zerbo and Aboubakar Nacanabo on Thursday, targeting companies involved in passenger transport.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the companies, including RAKIETA, TSR, SKI, FTS, STAF, TKF, TTE, SOTRADYF, CTKE WAYS, ROYAL TRANSPORTS, HELENA, RAHIMO, LEERE TRANSPORT, FARAFINA TOURS, SARAMAYA, SBTA, and CTROF, implemented these fare increases on August 22, 2026. The penalties levied against them were determined based on the estimated additional revenue generated by the unauthorized fare hikes, with fines ranging from 1,050,000 FCFA to 26,250,000 FCFA.

Transport Sana Rasmane (TSR) and Soci©t© de Transport Aoereme et Fr¨re (STAF) face the steepest penalties, each required to pay 26,250,000 FCFA. Compagnie Burkinab¨ de Transport Rakieta must pay 17,500,000 FCFA, while Saramaya is fined 8,750,000 FCFA. Seven companies, including Soci©t© Kinda Internationale (SKI) and Fairness Transports and Services (FTS), will each pay 3,500,000 FCFA.

Four companies, including Transports Kiebre et Fr¨re (TKF) and Soci©t© de Transport Diao Yaya et Fils (SOTRADYF), face fines of 1,750,000 FCFA. Farafina Tours was fined 3,500,000 FCFA, and Leere Transport received the smallest penalty of 1,050,000 FCFA.

Article 3 of the decree mandates that the companies have 72 hours from August 31, 2026, to pay the fines to the Public Treasury. Delays will incur a 10% daily surcharge, and after one month of non-payment, the companies will be suspended from all passenger transport activities. Additionally, Article 5 requires the companies to revert their fares to the levels as of August 21, 2026, to avoid suspension across the national territory.

This decree follows a communication from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility, dated August 21, 2026, directed to the Secretary General of the National Federation of Road Transport Operators of Burkina Faso (FENAT), addressing the unauthorized adjustments in passenger transport fares.