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Bulawayo Bureau
GOVERNMENT has availed 72 buses that will charge $1 per trip between Bulawayo’s residential suburbs and the central business district as part of a broader plan to revamp the urban mass transport system.

Last week, Government availed five Zupco buses to ply the City Centre-Pumula route. The move brings the number of buses operating in Bulawayo to 77. Some of the buses were availed by the Bulawayo Transport Association.

In an interview at the Zupco depot in Bulawayo, where the buses were being assigned routes, acting ZUPCO chief executive officer Mr Evaristo Madangwa said they had partnered with private players to bring a lasting solution to the transport challenges in the city.

“The arrangement that we’ve made with players in the transport industry is to make sure that we build capacity to carry people to and from work,” he said. “We are looking at a capacity of 72 buses to start off with and going forward we will build our capacity so that we cover every angle of the commuting public.”

Mr Madangwa said the 72 buses would be plying all urban routes within a 40-kilometre radius.

“They are going to service all the urban routes that are below 20km, charging $1 per trip,” he said.

“For a distance of 25km to 35km, we are going to charge $1,50, and beyond 40km we are going to charge $2, but I don’t think we have such long routes here. Most of our urban routes are basically going to be $1 per trip.”

According to the route list, the buses will be plying almost all routes in the western suburbs and some in the eastern suburbs.

Mr Madangwa said measures would be put in place to ensure the buses were reliable.

“This is going to be a reliable solution to our transport challenges. This is a long-term solution. It is not going to be a stop-gap measure and the public must expect this to go beyond the (near) future.”

Mr Madangwa said they will build capacity by resuscitating their old fleet from the revenue generated.

“This is going to be very sustainable,” he said. “This project is going to be run and managed efficiently. It’s not going to be ad hoc and the management which has been put in place is going to make sure that the project is a success.”

Mr Madangwa revealed that the revival of the bus system had created employment for Bulawayo youths who had been recruited as conductors.