City’s capacity on holding bays doubted

Herald Reporters
Harare City Council’s capacity to effectively control commuter omnibuses when those plying south-western suburbs-city routes start using the Coventry Road holding bay today has been questioned by Parliament, while drivers said they would resist the move. A trial run conducted yesterday showed that problems abound.

Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government who toured the holding bay questioned council’s capacity to enforce compliance, but said the idea was generally welcome to ease traffic congestion.

Mount Pleasant legislator Cde Jason Pasade (Zanu-PF) said the move could fuel corruption as commuter omnibuses would pay to get entry at the pick-up point at Copacabana bus terminus.

“What are you going to do with the touts?” he said.
“You need to first address the loopholes, so that this plan can run for a long term otherwise this is going to be another white elephant.”
Cde Pasade noted that council had failed to deal with pirate taxis which were wreaking havoc on the streets, showing its lack of capacity.

Binga North legislator Dubeko Sibanda (MDC-T) said unregistered kombi operators could take advantage of the vacuum that would be been created when the registered ones would be at the holding bay.

Warren Park legislator Engineer Elias Mudzuri (MDC-T) said the parking bays were not yet in order.
“The aesthetics do not look well, a number of things are not yet in place, for example, the toilets and the parking bays themselves. There is need to spruce up the place.”

City of Harare director of works Eng Philip Pfukwa said council had put measures in place to ensure compliance.
“Kombi drivers off peak will come and rest here and come in batches whenever they are called through radio systems and they will be given a ticket to make sure that only those called are allowed entry into Copacabana,” he said.

“There will be dedicated lanes. Kombis will use Samora Machel and turn into Chinhoyi Street and there will be dedicated lines after Nelson Mandela to Copacabana.”

Eng Pfukwa said there would be dropping zones at Copacabana and as commuter buses drive out, there will be dedicated lanes in Cameron Street, Robert Mugabe Way and Jason Moyo Avenue.

He said there will be heavy police presence as well as municipal police to deal with defying operators. Tickets will be withdrawn from commuter omnibuses which pick passengers along the way and would be denied entry into the holding bays.

Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators secretary general Mr Ngoni Katsvairo said kombi operators were not aware of how the holding bay would operate.

“We are not even sure how the process will work, especially during peak hours with regard to the movement of kombis between the holding bay and the particular rank,” he said.

“We also wait to see how the ticketing and radio system that is being talked about will work, we hope it will not inconvenience the free mobility of passengers.”

A kombi driver Mr Admire Ramambo said the holding bays would impede them from meeting their daily targets.
“They expect us to drive and spend most of the time at a place where there are no passengers and sheds,” he said.
“The people who have the initiative do not use commuter omnibuses for transport and they do not know what is going on.”

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