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Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
Bus operators are tightening security measures on their buses as they have become an easy target for armed robbers who sometimes board while carrying dangerous weapons.

This followed some armed robberies carried out by passengers on some buses recently, with the latest incident occurring last week.

In that latest incident, five armed robbers attacked a CAG Travellers Coaches bus on Tuesday last week at around 6.30pm at the 325km peg along the Harare-Chirundu highway, undressed all passengers before escaping with the clothes and more than US$20 000.

The suspected robbers were wielding an unknown firearm, which they used to scare passengers and the bus crew.

They  stole US$19 050, R2 000, $690 and K1 137, and other valuables.

Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation chairman Mr Sam Nanhanga yesterday said they were going to smoke out those who board buses while hiding weapons.

“We are going to have metal detectors to make sure that no persons with guns and other harmful metal objects board the bus,” he said.

“Even if a person is just carrying a machete, they will be detected and will not be allowed to get into the bus.

“As from now, we are going to use those detecting gadgets because if we do not do that, we will be victims of robberies, especially during this festive season. This is to ensure the safety of the passengers and the bus crews as well.”

A number of local buses have also been robbed in South Africa, especially on the N1 Highway that leads to Zimbabwe, either by armed passengers or those who pounce when the crew stops for a recess.

Mr Nanhanga said apart from security measures, the bus operators were tightening enforcement of health measures and were considering insisting on production of Covid-19 vaccination cards before passengers board.

This follows the spike in Covid-19 infections, driven largely by the Omicron variant.

President Mnangagwa last week extended the Level Two lockdown by a further two weeks, citing the rapid rise in the infections driven by the new variant.

He insisted that masks must be worn by all passengers in both public and private transport.

Heeding the President’s call, the bus operators are tightening their health regulations.

Under the Government regulations, passengers not wearing face masks are not allowed to board buses, and operators are now promising to enforce the regulations.

All travellers are getting sanitised and have their temperature checked before entering the bus to ensure their safety and that of the bus crews.

Mr Nanhanga said bus operators were tightening up their procedures, which in any case had been required by law since last year.

But now the organisation is self-policing with members on a duty roster to ensure compliance.

“We have made a duty roster that we have grouped our members so that they will go on the ground and monitor to make sure that everyone is being sanitised, having their temperature checked and wearing a mask before boarding the bus,” he said.

“They will also make sure that each and every bus is complying with the regulations. We have also made sure that even without the police, we will try by all means to make sure that order has prevailed. This will go a long way in ensuring the safety of the passengers as well as that of the bus crews.”

The bus operators would like to see all passengers and crew vaccinated, and encourages them to do so.