18 luxury coaches plying the Bulawayo-Johannesburg route blacklisted

THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has blacklisted 18 luxury buses, plying the Bulawayo-Johannesburg route, from operating in the central business district for failing to comply with set council requirements and causing commotion in the city.

This comes amid revelations that the local authority had also resolved to block a number of commuter omnibuses plying a number of routes in the city -especially those plying the low-density areas - from operating at their current pick up and drop off points.

According to the latest council report, council has resolved to launch this blitz after noting the failure by most of these buses to provide toilet facilities for their passengers and continuously playing a cat and mouse game with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

Some of the buses that have been blacklisted include Ebennezer, Passenger Express, Mpala Tours, Mlamu Coaches, Elite Coaches, Afro-Express, Defu Travel and Tours, Hawk Coaches, Makford Distributors, Majamula Transport, Fullfilled Scripture, Trans-Africa Tours, Great South Tours, Aludali, Thamboti Coaches, Goldstar Africa Express, Platinum Coaches and Grace Liner.

Revival Motorways has also been banned from operating in the CBD but has been instructed to use only its Kelvin North depot.

"Council has been receiving and processing applications for the establishment of pick up points for both luxury coaches and commuter omnibuses operating locally and to the surrounding towns and areas. The normal conditions (for luxury coaches) are that they should have a proper office, a waiting room big enough to accommodate waiting passengers, adequate toilet facilities for staff and passengers and a properly designated and approved loading bay which is to be used in terms of a timetable.

"An audit revealed that some of these operators are illegal and always play hide and seek with traffic enforcement," reads part of the council minutes.

In the latest development, the buses have effectively been banned from the CBD and are now expected to operate from Renkini Long Distance bus terminus and in the event that they make efforts to meet council requirements they will then be moved to the City Hall car park pick up point.

"These buses will be clamped and towed to BCC Stores and should only be released after payment of fine, they should be reported to the relevant ministry and the police that they are operating in complete disregard of the laws of council," reads the council report.

Long distance commuter omnibuses, plying the Bulawayo-Gwanda route have been banned from operating at the corner of Leopold Takawira Avenue and Samuel Parirenyatwa Street for grossly abusing the area by fouling, congestion and making noise.

Local commuter omnibuses that have also been banned from operating within the CBD include: City-Mahatshula (corner 6th Avenue and Fife Street), City- Burnside, City-Waterford and City- Gumtree (12th Avenue and George Silundika Street), City-Killarney, City- Sunninghill and City-Kensington (6th Avenue and Josiah Tongogara Street).

These commuter omnibuses have all been barred for fouling, noise, congestion and littering.

"Commuter omnibuses pick up points only given where they pick passengers on their way to their destinations and should start their trip from a rank. Ranking is strictly prohibited at the pickup points as most of these should be used in the same manner as bus stops, for instance a bus stop is meant for a vehicle to stop and pick up passengers and move without ranking," reads the report.

Bulawayo Public Transport Association chairperson Mr Strike Ndlovu professed ignorance on the matter saying council had neither contacted them nor consulted them on the matter.

"I am hearing of that issue from you, council has not contacted us and they have never called us to any consultation meetings," said Mr Ndlovu.

Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said this was an effort to decongest the city and further maintain cleanliness.