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Government has fulfilled its promise to introduce mass public transport to alleviate the plight of commuters.

On Tuesday President Mnangagwa commissioned 39 of the 300 buses Government has secured as part of measures to address the plight of commuters that are being ripped off by unscrupulous private bus operators. 

The 300 buses are part of an overall Government policy to revamp the sector and introduce a mass transport system, with a further 500 buses from Belarus soon to be availed.

The commissioning of the buses in Harare coincided with the launch of a computerised system that will be installed in the buses that was designed by Dr Talon Garikayi, the director of Technology Transfer at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT). 

The system can be used for issuing fuel, monitoring its consumption, tracking and real time financial reporting among others.

The agreement for the supply of the 500 buses was reached when the President visited Belarus as part of his Eurasian tour in January. 

President Mnangagwa said Government decided to procure the 300 buses in the short term to address the plight of commuters while awaiting delivery of the 500 buses from Europe.

He said the 300 buses were bought from South Africa and China with South Africa providing 200 while the remaining 100 came from China. 

Cde Mnangagwa said the buses were being delivered in batches and hoped by the end of this month all the 300 buses will be in the country. 

The President said Government was committed to providing a modern and decent transport system to the commuting public.

“Today we are seeing the launch of that concept, the realisation and actualisation of that concept,” said Cde Mnangagwa during the commissioning of the buses. 

In January this year some commuter omnibus operators increased fares to as much as $6 for a trip from Harare to Chitungwiza thereby prompting Government to avail buses that are charging $1 per trip and this has forced the private operators to reduce fares. 

Government’s swift move to avail the $1 per route buses demonstrated that it is sensitive to the plight of commuters who were being ripped off by private operators.

The commissioning of new buses on the Eve of Zimbabwe’s Independence is a confirmation of Government’s commitment to improve its citizens’ welfare. 

The new buses will guarantee a stable transport system in both urban and rural areas. We want to commend Government for its foresight and implore those that will run the mass transport system to ensure the new fleet is looked after so that the nation derives maximum benefits. 

What Government has done in the transport sector should be replicated in other sectors of the economy where unscrupulous businessmen are fleecing people through charging exorbitant prices.