By Tendai Matunhu
In line with Government’s policy of industry revival and the need to improve public transport system, CMED has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to resuscitate 200 non-runner FAW buses dumped at the ZUPCO depots countrywide, The Harare Post has learnt.
According to an official who works for CMED and preferred anonymity for professional reasons, CMED wants the non-runners to be resuscitated by local manufactures of coach bodies and retro fitting. He said they would import FAW engines, gear boxes and other accessories to reduce the import bill since they will not be importing the whole bus. The rest of the accessories would be sourced locally thereby reducing pressure on the forex, the official said.
He further revealed that the 200 ZUPCO FAW body on chassis have the potential to be revived. “The increase in the ZUPCO fleet will alleviate transport problems being faced by the commuting public. The local motor industry has the capacity to do coach building for buses, for example, the local company Deven Engineering imported cab-on chassis truck, Nissan UD Croner PKE280 truck from South Africa which was then converted into a bus,” said the official.
The official highlighted that the project is expected to save foreign currency as less will be used to acquire engines and other parts compared to importing a complete bus. He said the cost of importing a new 64 seater on average costs US$220 000 each compared to the refurbished FAW buses which costs an average US$56 600 each.
He also said the initiative to refurbish the buses would not only reduce pressure on foreign currency but would revive the motor industry as well.
“Companies like tyre manufacturers, steel industries, glass manufacturers, automotive industry and coach builders will obviously benefit from this initiative,” said the official.
He highlighted that the refurbishment process will modify and customise FAW buses to suit the Zimbabwean conditions instead of importing buses that are not tailor-made for our local conditions thereby reducing their life span.
This is a very noble initiative which if implemented will have a ripple effect of creating employment for many people once the motor industries are revived.
