The Sunday Mail
Society Reporter
Relentless efforts by private commuter omnibus operators to lobby the Government to allow them back on the road have hit a huge brick wall once again.
In the past few weeks, representatives have been meeting Government officials in a bid to try to claw their way back into the lucrative mass public transportation sector.
It is almost a year since the Government directed operators to serve under the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) franchise.
The arrangement is meant to bring sanity to the urban transport sector and curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sunday Mail Society understands that in the past four weeks, private operators have had a series of meetings with officials from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, including the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
Local authorities, among them the Harare City Council, have also been approached by the kombi operators.
They have even been to Parliament for an opportunity to air their views.
But, it does not look promising.
“There is no going back on the Zupco franchise and every operator is obliged to work under this Government-initiated franchise. Of course, there have been lobbying, especially in Bulawayo. I know of three companies who engaged Minister July Moyo, but he has since advised them to engage Zupco . . . On other requisite requirements, they held a meeting with Zupco CEO where such issues were raised and noted for presentation to Cabinet,” said Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Marian Chombo.
Questions are being asked why private operators are doggedly trying to return to the country’s roads, where they are best remembered for chaos.
“All we are asking for is a return to the roads as independent players. We can also work under the Zupco franchise, but a number of issues will have to be looked into first and addressed so that our relationship with Zupco becomes a win-win relationship,” said Frederick Maguramhinga, the president of the Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDAC).
“We have about 60 000 kombis and 20 000 buses. This means that the company will have to employ about 120 000 conductors and drivers. On top of that, it will also have to employ about 10 000 monitors who will be in charge of the more than 1 000 routes. “Zupco does not have the capacity to employ such numbers.”
Ngoni Katsvairo, the secretary-general of the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators (GHACO), continues angling for a comeback.
“We are lobbying the Government for two options: We are saying the kombis must be allowed to return under a franchise just like Zupco. This will not only create competition but will also see us complimenting Zupco’s efforts.
“The other option is for the Government to improve the working environment for operators under the Zupco franchise. Operators are being paid late, say after three months, and the payments are in local currency when spare parts are being sold in United States dollars,” he said.
He, however, does not see a change in stance by authorities.
“From my observations, chances of the return of kombis as independent players are very slim, especially those that are keen to operate outside the Zupco franchise in urban areas,” he said.
Under the franchise deal, commuter omnibus operators are paid 25 percent of the daily takings, while Zupco gets the remainder.
It is believed that Zupco has engaged about 10 percent of the total number of available kombis.
“Before this new arrangement, we had about 50 000 kombis. From what I gathered, Zupco has in its books only 1 500 kombis. The remainder are either parked or operating illegally,” added Katsvairo.
Meanwhile, Tafadzwa Goliati, the president of the Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ), urged the Government to move with speed and find ways of ending the transport crisis.
“We have a situation in which 70 percent of passengers are using private vehicles to go to work. This is not ideal. Passengers are now vulnerable to robberies, rape and are also being exposed to Covid-19 since most private vehicle drivers are not adhering to coronavirus regulations,” he said.
“We have rural routes that are not serviced by Zupco and in these areas, pirate taxis are in operation. The pirate taxis are driven by mostly unlicensed drivers and the vehicles are not roadworthy.”
Zupco recently announced that it would be buying 600 buses by year-end to complement its existing feet.
About 100 new buses are expected to be delivered soon.
