From touts to transport association owners

A GROUP of touts, who operate along Bulawayo’s Sixth Avenue, have come together to form a transport association which aims to curb transport challenges and create employment in the city.

Vuka Uzimele Transport Association (Vuta) chairperson Busani Ngwenya said the association was created on the streets, but has become a household name in Zimbabwe’s second largest city.

“Vuta was born out of Sixth Avenue by people who were treated as touts,” said Ngwenya.

“The majority of people are not working and this is a way of creating jobs on each and every route. We have routes in Mganwini, Makhandeni, Luveve, Pumula, Ntumbane and Cowdray Park.”

Ngwenya said the transport association started three years ago, but there were requirements that were needed in line with the Bulawayo Public Transport policy for them to operate.

“The company started three years ago, but there are rules and regulations that should be followed by each transport association before they start operating, for example the Bulawayo Public Transport policy. We are still in the process of obtaining all the needed documentation,” he said.

“We were lucky to get the requirements needed just as the Egodini

Rank was officially opened. The timing was so perfect because if we did not have the papers needed we would not be operating.

“Five years back we tried to open a transport association company which was called Bulawayo Metro Transport, but it failed because there were few people in the organisation. After that we managed to mobilise each other and it was now easy for us to form Vuta.”

But regulations have kept stalling the organisation’s growth.

“According to the Bulawayo Public Transport Policy we should own buses so that there can be easy transportation of people and this is one of our main objectives. We are anticipating getting funding from the government to boost our business,” Ngwenya said.

“We aim to grow as a company. We anticipate buying company buses and we hope the government will assist us secure the loans.”

Ngwenya’s organisation is also working with Bulawyo City Council, through parking company, Tendy Three Investments, to remove pirate taxis along Sixth Avenue.

“BCC promised to block pirate taxis from operating at Sixth Avenue. We are currently clashing with pirate taxis whose illegal operations are affecting our business.

“We encourage pirate taxis owners to have their vehicles registered to any of the transport associations,” he added.