Number of buses in Maputo increases

THE municipal bus companies in Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola have substantially increased the number of buses on the roads since a visit by President Filipe Nyusi to the Transport Ministry and various transport companies in April — but there are still nowhere near enough publicly owned buses to solve the passenger transport problems.

Speaking recently, as he visited the premises of the two companies, Transport Minister Carlos Mesquita said that in April the Maputo municipal bus company (EMTPM) had a daily average of only 25 buses in circulation. However, with the support of the government’s Transport and Communications Fund, and from the Ports and Rail company (CFM), 34 buses that were out of order have been repaired, bringing the number of EMTPM buses on the road up to 59.

As for the Matola company (ETM), in April it only had 12 operational buses. According to its manager, Eliado Mussengue, the number should have been 22. But eight out of the ten new buses that ETM received in February, each of which cost nine million meticais ($150,000), proved to have inappropriate seats for urban public transport.

They also came with just one door, instead of the two specified by the company, and lacked handrails. ETM had to contact the supplier to demand corrections. Mussengue expected the problem to be solved by the end of July. There are currently 25 ETM buses on the streets of Matola. — AIM