Government
banned commuter omnibuses during the COVID-19 period, but allowed the vehicles
back on the roads after relaxing pandemic regulations.
Commuter
omnibuses and pirate taxis are blamed for an increase in fatal road accidents
in Harare and most urban areas across Zimbabwe as they flout road regulations.
According to
the recently adopted Harare master plan, commuter omnibuses will be banned from
Harare’s roads within the next three years, while the ban on pirate taxis is
with immediate effect.
About half of
Harare residents use kombis, buses and pirate taxis as their mode of transport,
while 16,9% walk, with 28,5% using their vehicles.
In the Harare
master plan covering 2025-45, the city said it was going to ban kombis within
three years.
“Policy 109:
Ban commuter omnibuses in Harare within the next 3 years. And Policy 110: Ban
pirate taxis mishikashika in Harare with immediate effect,” read the report.
“In 1991, the
government of Zimbabwe proposed a policy agenda that led to the Economic
Structural Adjustment Programme (Esap).
“The World Bank
and International Monetary Fund provided support for Esap, whose aim was to
change Zimbabwe’s controlled economy to a market-driven economy.
“It is against
these broader Esap policy goals that the public transport sector in urban areas
was in principle partially deregulated in August 1993, allowing
privately-operated commuter omnibuses (also known as kombis) to compete with
Zupco.”
Experts say a
ban of kombis must be accompanied by the provision of alternative modes of
transport for the commuting public.
Zimbabwe Union
for Drivers and Conductors president Frederick Maguramhinga cautioned the
council not to be aggressive with operators.
“If the master
plan is done with aggression, just like what happened before, we will not be
able to resolve these issues; it will create problems for our country in the
future,” he said .
Maguramhinga
said kombis were a mode of transport in several countries.
He said it was
impossible to ban commuter omnibuses as the roads are in bad shape, adding that
buses would not be adequate to transport people.
“The buses that
they call mass transport systems will not get all people and one cannot wait
for five hours for a bus to get into town and travel five to seven kilometres
to get in town,” Maguramhinga said.
Passengers
Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Goliath said council should
concentrate on repairing public toilets and allow kombis to continue carrying
people in Harare.
“The proposed
ban on kombis and illegal pirate transport in Harare's master plan draft raises
concern about the practicality and feasibility of such a move,” he said.
“Given the
city's existing infrastructure challenges, including inadequate public toilets
and bus termini, it's crucial for the authorities to address these underlying
issues before implementing such a ban.
“The Passengers
Association of Zimbabwe believes that a
more comprehensive approach is needed, one that balances the need for improved
transportation with the reality of the city's current infrastructure
limitations.”
The master plan
further indicated that all three-wheeled taxis operating on the city roads must
be banned and has ordered all ride-hailing operators to submit GPS telemetry
data and monthly ridership reports immediately.
“Three-wheeled
taxis should not be allowed to operate or move on Harare roads as a means of
public transport. All cab-hailing facilities and companies (or applications)
submit GPS telemetry data on all trips and monthly ridership reports to the
director of urban planning with immediate effect. Noncompliant companies should
be banned from operating,” it said.
The master plan
also proposes that the City of Harare engages the State through the Local
Government and Public Works ministry and the Transport and Infrastructural
Development ministry for the return of motor vehicle licensing to the city.
It further
calls for the allocation of Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara)
funds proportional to the number of vehicles registered in the city for funding
road improvements.
The report also
indicates that there are six major bus termini in the central city area, and
kombis and buses are dropping passengers outside these locations.
“Early plans
had provided for adequate bus termini in most suburbs in Harare, but the
termini infrastructure (bus shelters and ablution facilities) have not been
maintained and some have been vandalised.
“Some of the
ablution facilities in these areas are no longer working and those that are
working are overwhelmed. Bus termini in the central business district are no
longer able to cope with the volume of buses and commuter omnibuses.
“The operators
are now parking their buses and kombis around the ranks, blocking traffic and
causing congestion. There are no marked drop-off zones in the CBD bus termini.
On some ranks, there are multiple entry and exit points and this makes it
difficult to control traffic in the termini,” the report read.
It further
indicates that the city has weak traffic demand policies to develop and promote
non-motorised transport in Harare.
“The Harare
City Council has weak traffic demand policies, therefore, showing that
institutional support for non-motorised transport is generally weak, as
policies and government spending do not promote the usage of non-motorised
transport. There is a stigma around non-motorised transport, especially among
Harare residents who associate it with poverty.
“If Harare City
Council could make adequate provision in terms of infrastructure investments
and policies, this mindset could change, and people will tend to keep using
non-motorised transport even though their income levels allow for the usage of
motorised transportation,” the master plan said. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment