AFTER a two-year Covid-19 induced ban, private commuter omnibuses have been allowed back onto the roads in a move aimed at easing transport challenges, particularly during the coming Christmas and New Year holidays when demand will be high.
The government in 2020 banned private commuter omnibuses, except those which joined the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) franchise, as part of Covid-19 containment measures. But, as most Covid-19 containment measures have been relaxed, the kombis have also been allowed back according to a new Statutory Instrument (SI) issued on Wednesday.
“Transport services, whether intra-city or inter-city, for the carriage of passengers shall no longer be restricted to the transport services mentioned in section 4 (2) of the Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) (National Lockdown) (No.2) Order, 2020) (“the principal order”), published in Statutory Instrument 200 of 2020, and all laws with respect to the licensing of those services that were in force immediately before the commencement of the principal order shall recommence in force with immediate effect,” the SI read.
The government has since crafted new guidelines to govern the operations of the kombis including the requirement to have different colour codes in order to distinguish their different routes, as well as being registered with a formal association to ensure accountability.
While the return of the kombis should bring some measure of relief to the commuting public, which was being inconvenienced by the Zupco buses which were failing to cope with the demand, it could see the return of the chaos and lawlessness, which characterised the country’s roads before they were outlawed.
Commuter omnibus crews are renowned for ill-treating passengers, charging exorbitant fares and flouting road traffic rules and regulations with impunity. It was for that reason that the government had taken the Covid-19 pandemic as a gratuitous opportunity to establish an efficient and affordable public transport system in the country and remove the kombis from the picture for good.
While the kombis were banned, the government was acquiring new buses for Zupco, which had almost collapsed due to years of mismanagement and lack of support as the country grappled with the Illegal sanctions that some Western countries imposed. — New Ziana