Government has opened the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company
(Zupco) franchise to commuter omnibus operators in a move likely to increase
convenience for urban commuters.
Officials from Zupco and a few transport operators
yesterday penned a deal which will see the implementation of a pilot operation.
The new deal comes as the transport utility is being
revived by the Government as part of measures to build a safe and reliable
transport system in the country.
Speaking after commissioning a second batch of 47 Zupco
buses recently, President Mnangagwa said Government was working tirelessly to
fulfil its promise of bringing in 1 500 buses by end of the programme.
By late afternoon yesterday, kombis with Zupco stickers
were ferrying passengers at popular ranks in Harare’s central business district
at a cost of $2.
On average, kombis charge $4.
Zupco acting chief executive officer Mr Evaristo Madangwa
confirmed the development to The Herald, saying the move was inspired by the
plight of commuters.
“People were struggling to move from one point to the other
and we decided to cast our net wider, this time including kombis in our system.
“We will be slowly growing our capacity as time moves. If
people see a kombi with a ZUPCO sticker, they should pay the same amount they
would have paid on a bus,” Mr Madangwa said.
Asked on the sustainability of the project, Mr Madangwa
said: “In January when we introduced buses people said it is not sustainable
but here we are.
“We have a working model and we will continue to improve it
to ensure people have transport all the time.”
Under the deal, day-to-day running of the vehicles will be
handled by ZUPCO. The public transporter will determine route-mapping, times
and provide a conductor.
Operators will be paid a mutually agreed rate fortnightly.
One of the pioneering operators, Mr Hardlife Chipika of
Pamushana Africa Transport, said the deal was a shot in the arm for kombi
operators who were struggling to cope with high operational costs.
“The coming in of Government will result in us reducing our
operational expenses as fuel will be provided.
“The model to me will reduce wear and tear given that the
kombis will be timetabled and no running ‘diff’ (empty trips) as was the case
and other operational expenses like paying touts as well as running battles
with municipal police,” said Mr Chipika.
Zupco’s latest deal comes at a time when profiteering kombi
operators were incessantly increasing fares, putting commuters under financial
pressure.
As a result, buses were being overwhelmed and the kombis
can fill the gap and bring respite to commuters who are spending long hours
waiting for affordable transport. Herald
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