Passengers have right to sue operators

PASSENGERS have the right to sue transport operators who break traffic laws and endanger their lives, an official has said. In an interview, Zimbabwe Passengers Association (ZPA) secretary-general Mr Paul Makiwa said his organisation has of late realised that passengers were not aware of their rights which give them among others the right to sue drivers who break basic road rules.

He said passengers have the right to refuse being over-loaded and also claim restitution in the event that they are involved in accidents. "Most passengers are harassed by commuter omnibus drivers and when such happens they do not know who to tell. Passengers should report such incidents to ZPA so that the commuter omnibus can be banned from transporting passengers," said Mr Makiwa.

Mr Makiwa said passengers must familiarise themselves with the Road Transportation Act which guides the conduct of transport operators. "The laws that condemn harassing passengers in aeroplanes and trains are the same laws that are supposed to be followed by those on the road and the police should make sure that they arrest those found harassing passengers," he said.

Mr Makiwa castigated those running private illegal taxis adding that they were the biggest culprits in violating the rights of passengers. "Most Honda Fits that are used as commuter omnibuses are not registered, they have no passenger insurance and most drivers are below the age of 25 which means that they have no right to drive public vehicles but such rules are usually ignored and the rights of people are abused," he said.

ZPA is an association which was formed after THE realisation that no one was attending to the needs of passengers.