Harare City Council rakes in over $20 000 in daily penalties

31 Aug, 2014 - 06:08 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Charlotte Musarurwa – Municipal Reporter

Harare City Council is raking in daily penalty fees of over US$20 000 from commuter omnibuses that pick and drop passengers at undesignated points in the Central Business District while shunning the new public transport holding bay on Coventry Road.

On average, municipal traffic officers are impounding 100 vehicles daily, with the storage yard on the outskirts of central Harare fast running out of space.

Clamping attracts an US$80 penalty per commuter omnibus while towing costs US$132. In addition, operators are required to pay a storage fee of US$17 per day if their vehicles are towed, meaning one vehicle will accumulate at least US$238 in fines following introduction of new regulations stipulating that they should be impounded for no less than 14 days as a punitive measure.

Three weeks ago, council introduced a new public transport management system to help de-congest the city centre. The system requires commuter omnibus operators to first present all requisite operating documents to council.

Only approved vehicles gain access to the holding bay from where crews are dispatched at intervals to pick up commuters at Chinhoyi Street Bus Terminus and then ferrying them to their destinations.

Those without proper documents have attempted to circumvent the system by operating in the CBD without regulation. However, council has come down hard on them through clamping and impounding.

Statistics released last year showed that 6 000 commuter omnibuses out of the 10 000 in Harare are operating illegally.

Over 4 550 individuals are registered as commuter omnibus operators in the city, according to the City of Harare Department of Urban Planning Report of 2012.

Away from the council initiative, Government intends to phase out commuter omnibuses and replace them with high-volume buses.

The plan, aimed at de-congesting central Harare, will also see a ring road being constructed around the CBD to detour heavy vehicles and large volumes of travellers.

Harare City Council Traffic Department’s Chief Superintendent Collen Tongoona said the local authority would ensure its new system works.

He said the crackdown on illegal omnibuses would continue, adding that two of his officers were facing disciplinary action for releasing impounded vehicles fraudulently.

Operators with impounded vehicles are required to pay a fine and present valid documents like operating permits and tax certificates for their omnibuses to be released.

It is, however, understood some council officials are facilitating the release of vehicles in exchange for kickbacks.

Chief Supt Tongoona said: “The number of vehicles we are impounding has increased because we are enforcing the law strictly. We are trying to plug all loopholes.”

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