Different Colour Codes For Private Kombis, Buses
Private buses and commuter omnibuses (kombis) will have different colour codes to distinguish operators plying distinct routes when they eventually return to the roads.
The Attorney-General’s (AG) Office is currently drafting new regulations to repeal the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) monopoly and liberalise transport the sector so as to ensure an efficient urban mass public transport system.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 83 of 2020, which banned private transport operators that were not under the ZUPCO franchise, is set to be repealed.
The chief director for spatial planning and development in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Shingirayi Mushamba said the new regulations will grant operators duty-free permits to import coaches with a minimum carrying capacity of 25 passengers.
Pprivate-owned buses will only operate after being registered with a formal association to ensure accountability. Said Mushamba:
The Ministry of Local Government has already communicated with the Attorney-General’s Office so that work on the SI to repeal the ZUPCO monopoly begins.
We have recommended the duty-free facility to the Ministry of Finance (and Economic Development).
We said we are tired of the chaos that the small vehicles are causing on our roads.
So, we have recommended that under the duty-free facility, the minimum size of a unit should be a 25-seater.
He said the duty-free facility will only accommodate new vehicles since second-hand buses have a short lifespan.
More: The Sunday Mail
