By Patience Rashai
Government has introduced shuttle services in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD) in a move expected to restore sanity pricing as well as wash out pirate taxis (dubbed mushika-shika) which had since turned Harare CBD into a traffic jungle.
Speaking to passengers boarding Inter-Africa shuttle bus by 4th street this Wednesday, many expressed optimism at this initiative.
“Private operators were used to overcharging us and this move by Government will certainly ensure that private players will also lower their fares soon,” said Winnet Machona.
“Government’s move to launch the Urban Mass Transport System is welcome but this development should also be initiated in other towns, not Harare only. I stay in Bindura and tirikubhadhara $2 for less than 5km paNickel mine apo, takuvara,” said Tapiwa Chadoka, one of the passengers.
The Government through Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) this week introduced local buses to ply town routes and has since moved a step further to the CBD route which is charging $0,50 from the usual $1 from the mushika-shika operators.
The deputy Minister of Transport, Advocate Fortune Chasi said that the Government was proud to continuously channel better services to the public as this will provide the commuting public with convenience, safety and reliability. The shuttle will do a nonstop round-robin from Fourth Street to Copacabana to Market Square to Charge Office and back to Fourth Street.
Chasi added that this was an opportunity to formalize and modernise the country’s transport industry in line with new technologies, as such buses were soon to channel out new methods of payments. “These should include a range of payment methods such as tap and go, mobile apps, telematics etc that will help to formalize and modernise mass public transportation. The benefits will be legion,” he said.
