Staff Writer
The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) has called for a review of oversubscribed public transport routes to curb conflicts among bus operators and improve passenger safety.
PAZ said competition among transport operators should focus on improving service delivery, transport viability and safety rather than triggering disputes and violence over routes.
“We do not encourage passengers to get involved in route disputes among bus operators. Competition should not result in bus wars, but should instead improve transport viability and safety,” PAZ said.
The association said many of the conflicts were fuelled by touts and competition on routes that already had too many operators, with passengers ultimately bearing the brunt of the disputes.
“Most of these conflicts start with touts, which is unacceptable, and with oversubscribed routes where passengers ultimately become victims of this competition,” PAZ said.
PAZ urged the Road Motor Transportation department to review the allocation and viability of routes to ensure that public transport services were distributed appropriately and that passenger safety remained a priority.
“It is imperative that the Road Motor Transportation department reviews these routes in the interest of passenger safety. It is disheartening to hear individuals in the transport sector declaring wars over personal differences,” the association said.
PAZ also called for greater investment in the country’s road network, saying the poor condition of some roads was contributing to competition for a limited number of viable routes.
“With the poor state of our roads, every bus operator wants tarred roads and lucrative routes that give quick returns,” PAZ said.
The association said the Government should prioritise road rehabilitation and re-engineering, noting that some roads had deteriorated beyond their intended lifespan.
“Our government must prioritise re-engineering, as some of our roads have lived beyond their lifespan. We have routes which do not have transport due to the poor state of our roads,” PAZ said.