Public transport crisis worsens

RUTENDO RORI

Commuters have expressed concern over the g o v e r n m e n t ’ s failure to provide sustainable transport measures during the current Covid-19 lockdown, leaving thousands of passengers stranded after curfew hours.

There is an acute shortage of public transport with the few ZUPCO buses and kombis plying the cities’ major routes.

However, they are overwhelmed by the demand.

Exacerbating the situation is that private kombis, not affiliated to ZUPCO, are still not allowed to ferry passengers.

It is also understood that some private bus and kombi operators were withdrawing their vehicles from the ZUPCO franchise as the government was failing to pay them adequately and on time.

Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators secretary general, Ngoni Katsvairo said ZUPCO should either attract more private players to its franchise or allow legal operators and their associations to operate a complementary franchise to the one operated by ZUPCO.

“The obvious thing is that there is no adequate transport from ZUPCO and we have proposed two options,” he said.

“The first one is that ZUPCO needs to attract more private players to its franchise and for them to do that they must pay hire fees that cover all the operational costs and profit for the private players as well as pay on time.

“Transport business is a cash business and there are no credit suppliers for spares.

 

Therefore, operators will need cash every time they want to service or attend to their vehicles, which is not available because ZUPCO takes up to 45 days to pay operators.

“The obtaining situation is not good as operators are subsidising ZUPCO, yet this is a noble government programme that must be subsidised by ZUPCO itself.”

He added: “The second option is for legal operators and their associations to be allowed to operate a complementary franchise to the one operated by ZUPCO.

No operator must be allowed to operate as an individual as that brings disorder and chaos besides uncontrolled and unwarranted fare increases.

“Now that ZUPCO is charging commercial fares, there must then be a regulatory body involving the Ministry of Local Government, ZUPCO and private operators that will continuously regulate and monitor fares.

 

That body must also regulate profitable hire fees that must be paid to both franchise operators and ZUPCO.”

Katsvairo said after making sure that there was adequate transport, there must be thorough and non corrupt enforcement on illegal and pirate operators.

“Pickups and pirate motorists will also not find a gap to fill with regards to transport challenges and commuters will use authorised public transport that will be following the laid down WHO Covid-19 mitigation guidelines,” Katsvairo said.

Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) programmes manager Reuben Akili told Business Times that the transport system has also been exposing commuters to Covid-19 as they spend hours crowded at the bus terminals waiting for ZUPCO buses and kombis available.

“The huge gatherings of people converging waiting for buses are a recipe for disaster and Covid-19 super spreaders, which require urgent attention at this time when the Delta variant has started claiming lives and spreading like veld fire,” he said.

“As you aware that this Covid variant spreads fast in the air. The huge gatherings at bus termini can only be reduced by increasing buses and sanitising the buses through spraying, windows of buses must

opened to allow ventilation, buses must not carry standing passengers.

“These are the effects of a monopolised public transport system. History has taught us that any monopoly will not improve service provision,” Akili said.

Last year, CHRA and Passengers Association of Zimbabwe went to the court to challenge the monopoly but it took months for the judgment to be delivered, which was then “overtaken by events.”

Akili also expressed concern over the recent bus fare increase by ZUPCO.

“So, a monopoly is costly on the customer or consumer but beneficial to the service provider in making super profits.

“On the other hand ZUPCO is failing to pay bus owners on time and this just points out that this is not working,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from ZUPCO acting chief executive officer Evaristo  Madangwa were fruitless as his mobile phone was unreachable.

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