GOVERNMENT has set up an inter-ministerial committee to
oversee an introduction of mini-buses to ply various urban routes, as Zimbabwe
steps up efforts to bring national passenger company — Zupco — back to life and
establish a reliable mass public transport system.
The Sunday Mail has established that over the past two weeks,
Government officials have been locked in consultative meetings with
stakeholders in the transport sector to strategise modalities for introducing
the small buses.
These will complement conventional buses introduced a
fortnight ago in urban areas.
The new mass public transport model will see Government
engage various private players under the Zupco franchise. Management modalities
are still being mapped out.
An inter-ministerial committee which comprises Ministries
of Finance and Economic Development, Local Government, Public Works and
National Housing and Transport and Infrastructural Development is spearheading
the formulation of a comprehensive transport model.
The Sunday Mail also understands that in other cities,
Government will rope in commuter omnibus players that are already operating
under associations and co-operatives such as the Tshova Mubaiwa scheme in
Bulawayo.
In an interview, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural
Development Joel Biggie Matiza said it was premature to declare phasing out of
commuter omnibuses adding that competition would result in improved and
efficient services.
“We have just rolled out the programme after witnessing the
chaos that was now rampant on our roads and in the urban transport sector,” he
said.
“It is a model that Local Government had started some time
back. However, at this stage there is an inter-Ministerial committee comprising
the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development
and ourselves.
“We came up with this plan, as we all know, Zupco does not
have many buses so we invited other players to come on board and operate under
the Zupco banner.
“It is like a franchise and this will increase the number
of buses. People will bring their buses with a driver and Zupco provides a
conductor.
They will get fuel from Government‘s CMED and Petrotrade.
“The ministerial committee will be briefed fortnightly so
that we know where we are having challenges so that they are addressed
immediately.“People need to know that this plan is real and there is no going
back.
“There are actually a number of players with proposals of
18 seater and 30 seater minibuses. These are some of the things being put into
the framework.
“It is not something that is alien because Zupco used to have
those mini-buses at one point. We can have those because we once had them
before. It allows the transport system to be versatile.”
The move to re-introduce urban mass transportations comes
as commuter omnibuses operators have been accused of abusing their monopoly in
urban transport by overcharging and ill-treating passengers through touting.
In Zimbabwe, it is estimated over one million people use
public transport daily.
Transport planning expert Mr Smart Dumba commended
Government efforts towards the resuscitation of the mass public transport
system adding that there was need for a well thought technical plan to ensure
its viability. Sunday Mail
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