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Herald Reporter
Commuter omnibus operators want Government to help them secure financial packages to buy high capacity buses in the event kombis are banned. They have since written to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Dr Obert Mpofu, pleading with him to prioritise a financing programme for those who meet set conditions.

In a statement last Friday, Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators (GHACO) secretary general, Mr Ngoni Katsvairo, said Government should empower operators so that they import high capacity buses.

“The ministry should facilitate or guarantee local or international credit lines and or provide bank loan guarantees for those who have capacity to run these high capacity buses. A provision for the continued existence of the low capacity kombis must also be an option as has happened in neighbouring South Africa where a recapitalisation and trade off programme was introduced to bring in quality and safer vehicles to run alongside the Metro buses provided by the Municipalities and private bus companies,” he said.

Mr Katsvairo said the move to ban commuter omnibuses was biased towards new players with huge resources at the expense of those who stood by it when time were hard.

“Our belief is that phasing out kombis is not the solution but it is about the existing transport infrastructure that has not grown in any regard to match the number of cars on the road. There is the huge jump in private vehicle ownership per household in both urban and rural areas, resulting from high importation of Japanese vehicles and a weak infrastructure and policy and legislative framework to deal with these issues.

“Many kombis have been imported since the de-regulation of the transport industry in late 1990s and this has seen most retrenchees investing in the sector. The players in this sector are self-financed operators who over the years invested their individual resources to fill the void that was left by conventional bus operators during thse times of economic hardships from 2000 to date when most people migrated out of the country,” said Mr Katsvairo.

He said the move to ban commuter omnibuses would render more than 90 000 people jobless, which would affect more than 540 000 people who depended on them.
“If it is about reducing congestion and ensuring transport efficiency, then the prescribed solution needs further consultations and engagement since everyone in the region is working towards decentralising transport to ease public mobility in order to promote both economic and social status.

“Our estimate is that there are over 45 000 kombis in the country and that will mean two employees will be directly affected together with at least 540 000 dependants.

“At least 4 500 mechanics and their 27 000 dependants will be affected in the process and there is great need to allow compliant kombi operators to operate under rigorous regulations and enforcement instead of creating a situation where there is high unemployment which leads to poverty and to high crime levels,” he said.
He urged Government to impound pirate taxis to improve passenger safety saying both kombi operators and drivers must be imprisoned if they employ people without relevant papers.

“Commuter omnibuses in those countries are operating parallel to trains and buses. Phasing out of the kombis should be on operators which do not meet set regulations which call for licenses, safety and maintenance.

“Drivers operating from undesignated zones must be punished than impounding the vehicle and letting the driver go scot free,” he said.
Minister Mpofu yesterday said he had not received the representations from commuter omnibus operators, saying his ministry was willing to engage them.

“We welcome their views on this issue and if they have suggestions on the measures, we assure that there will be engagements with them. We recently had a meeting with them and told them that we would continuously work with them on the best way forward regarding this issue.

“They were very co-operative and willing to work with us since they are part and parcel of our consultative process,” Minister Mpofu said.
Recently Government announced plans to phase out kombis and replace them with bigger and much safer meanss of transport.