Zimbabwe

New ranks, shelters for Zupco buses

Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter

Zupco and Harare City Council are working on designating official Zupco ranks where they will erect shelters for commuters.

Government last year re-introduced Zupco as a mass public transport system with a direct subsidy to allow lower fares.

In an interview yesterday, Zupco acting chief executive Mr Everisto Madangwa confirmed new ranks were being designated.

“We are working with the Harare City Council and our parent ministry to establish designated ranks for our fleet,” he said.

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“We want to ensure our passengers are picked up and dropped off at designated places.”

Harare City Council acting spokesperson Mr Innocent Ruwende confirmed that they were working with Zupco to refurbish the shelters at the terminuses to ensure they were usable even during the rainy season.

“Yes, we are working with Zupco,” he said. “However, as City of Harare, our major mandate is to provide the relevant infrastructure and traffic control measures. The actual provision of transport is best done by Zupco and other operators.

“We are also encouraging the use of other modes of transport such as cycling. There are also other players that should be in the system. Light rail and cable cars will improve our transport system in the long run.”

Mr Ruwende said council was courting investors to assist in building the ranks.

“Our infrastructure is in a state of disrepair,” he said.

“However, there are some investors who have shown interest in developing Speke Avenue and Simon Muzenda terminuses into state-of-the-art bus exchange points. These projects are still under consideration.”

Mr Ruwende said they were working on ensuring the co-existence of Zupco buses and commuter omnibuses.

“Zupco buses are already using the existing terminuses,” he said.

“Initially, the buses were allowed to load and offload from the street as mixing kombis and buses was going to make movement in the terminuses virtually impossible.

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“At Speke Avenue Terminus, Zupco buses are using two dedicated bays, while kombis are loading from the rest of the terminus.

“We are happy to report that movement of traffic at this facility is happening smoothly.”

 

HERALD