Case of chaos, relief as kombis sneak back
PRIVATE commuter omnibus operators have sneaked back into business.
While the unsanctioned move has helped ease transport challenges, it has also rekindled the chaos that characterised the period before the ban.
Government gazetted Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020 putting a blanket ban on commuter omnibuses, as one of the measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
At present, only registered private operators that service intra-city routes have been approved to return on the roads.
However, the Attorney-General’s Office was reported to be in the process of drafting regulations to repeal the Statutory Instrument, which banned private transport operators that were not under the Zupco franchise.
Under the new guidelines, private buses and commuter omnibuses will have different colour codes to distinguish operators plying distinct routes as part of new regulations to liberalise the sector and establish an efficient urban mass public transport system.
Similarly, the new guidelines state that private-owned buses will only operate after being registered with a formal association to ensure accountability.
Chief director for spatial planning and development in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Mr Shingirayi Mushamba said Government was still working on the modalities that will repeal the Statutory Instrument. “As you might be aware, Statutory Instrument (SI) 83 of 2020, which banned private transport operators that were not under the Zupco franchise, was crafted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
“The same ministry is the one which is working towards the withdrawal of the Statutory Instrument. I am in the process of engaging my colleagues in the health ministry and I will come back to you as soon as I get a response from them,” Mr Mushamba said.
The return of the private commuter omnibuses (kombis) in city routes means that the unruly touts, who are infamously known as “Mahwindi,” are back to their not-so-gentlemanly ways.
Also, the kombis are coming back at a time when the majority of the commuter omnibus operators that were operating under the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) franchise have withdrawn their service en-masse.
Mr Everisto Madangwa, the Zupco chief executive officer confirmed the withdrawal and highlighted the development had incapacitated the transport utility.
“Since the liberalisation of the transport sector, some of the private commuter omnibus operators that were under the Zupco franchise opted out. Our fleet has been depleted, so we are deploying whatever we have to carry the passengers,” said Mr Madangwa.
The Zupco top official could not state the exact number of the private commuter omnibus operators that withdrew their services.
“I am not in the office at the moment. But off hand, I can say that more than 200 private operators have so far withdrawn their services.”
Risk
For urban residents, the return of kombis means that their lives are once again exposed to great risk as commuter omnibus drivers are known to occasionally engage themselves in high-speed chases with the police.
Reports from other major cities and towns indicate that kombis made unsanctioned returns.
“The return of the kombis means that residents are once again exposed to the dangers that are associated with the rude behaviour by commuter omnibus crews. These drivers are reckless and rude. They often drive through red robots and sometimes drive against oncoming vehicles. They are also disrespectful to
passengers,” Mr Shepherd Tsuro, a Harare resident, said.
Some commuter omnibus crew members have in the past been accused of abusing dangerous drugs and substances while on duty while others have been arrested and jailed for sexually abusing women, mostly school children.
The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) -an association which represents the interests of the travelling public-has already sounded alarm bells.
“Kombi crews are harassing and short-changing passengers. They are always arguing with passengers in matters to do with bus fares and the exchange rates.
“Chaos is reigning supreme at the Simon Muzenda bus terminus where errant kombi crews block both entrance and exit points. This causes unnecessary delays,” reads a statement that has been released by PAZ.
Part of the PAZ statement also had a clear example of how kombi crews can be cruel and inconsiderate.
“We had this female passenger who boarded a Ruwa-bound kombi. She wanted to drop off in Msasa. The kombi conductor said he didn’t have change. The passenger was then dropped off in Ruwa.”
The passengers’ association has urged law enforcement agents to once again bring sanity to the roads.
Investigations by this publication revealed that the majority of the commuter omnibus crews that are fuelling chaotic scenes are those that are not affiliated to any commuter omnibus associations.
Apart from picking and dropping passengers in undesignated areas, the commuter omnibus crews are using ramshackle (unroadworthy) vehicles to carry the passengers.
‘Order in crime’
Commuter omnibuses that are branded and registered with the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators (GHACO) are trying to conform to ethics though operating illegally.
At the Market Square bus terminus, commuter omnibuses that are branded with the GHACO colours could be seen dropping and picking up passengers in an orderly manner.
Mr Ngoni Katsvairo, the GHACO secretary-general said his organisation is doing everything it can to make sure that its members are compliant as they await the official return.
“As we speak, we now have over 90 branded kombis that are operating in an orderly manner at the Market Square bus terminus. They are operating as they await the finalisation of the Statutory Instrument that makes it possible for our official return,” Mr Katsvairo said.
Katsvairo said his association has devised a “fool-proof method” to deal with errant members.
“First and foremost, all our kombis operate from ranks. Any operator that operates from illegal points will be heavily fined. The operator will in turn deduct the money from the offending driver’s salary,” said Mr Katsvairo.
All required papers, among them passenger insurance and certificate of fitness, should be produced for one to become affiliated with GHACO.
Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDAC) president Mr Fradreck Maguramhinga said his association is currently involved in a branding exercise that will also culminate in the registration of drivers and conductors.
“We are responding to the call by President Mnangagwa for private commuter omnibus operators to register with associations and then return to the road,” he said.
He encouraged those that are operating unlawfully to register with associations.
If the system(s) can be fully implemented across board, sanity can be restored on the roads.