Zupco needs more buses, kombis

BULAWAYO is in need of 47 buses and 35 kombis to address public transport challenges in light of Covid-19 which requires commuters to maintain social distancing.

This was said by the representative of the transport sector in the province Mr Raymond Nyandoro from the Zimbabwe United Passengers Company (Zupco). He said Zupco was overwhelmed by the increased demand for public transport hence the need to boost the fleet operating in the city.

According to the Zupco ticketing system, about 300 000 commuters use Zupco buses and kombis daily and the figure is expected to shoot up as the rest of school pupils resume face-toface lessons today. Schools reopened for examination classes last week and the rest are returning to the classroom today.

"Zupco as the sole urban transporter is supposed to provide adequate buses and kombis for both workers and school pupils. A total of 169 buses and 170 kombis are providing transport to urban commuters out of the company's 203 buses and 215 kombis," said Mr Nyandoro.

According to the Government's medium term economic plan, the National Development Strategy 1, the public transport system in cities must have a single operation controller in order to be effective.

Government mandated Zupco to be the sole public transporter in urban areas in order to guarantee commuters reliable and affordable transport.

Zupco's fleet will soon be boosted by 50 new buses which are in transit from the port of Durban, South Africa. Fifteen of these buses will be deployed to service routes in Harare while 11 will be dispatched to Bulawayo.

The rest will be shared equally among the smaller cities and towns.

Government intends to buy more than 600 new buses before the end of the year to ensure Zupco meets its mandate to adequately service urban commuters.