‘KOMBI’: A new order cometh for Public Transport

For the pedestrian, a simple stroll into Harare Central Business District’s downtown was akin to venturing into the lion’s den.

Chaotic traffic, speeding and commuter omnibus crews had become the scourge of the urban dweller — whether driving or walking.

Thankfully, times are changing.

The Sunday Mail Extra spent the past week camped at the new Coventry Road Commuter Omnibus Holding Bay to see what this new facility has done towards decongesting and bringing order to the CBD.

Under the new order, kombis from southern and eastern Harare drop off passengers at the Copacabana rank and then go and wait at the holding bay.

As they enter the bay, they are issued certified tickets that bear the kombi’s licence plate. This ticket is then used to gain entrance into Copacabana so that they can load passengers. Officers at the two facilities are in constant communication, informing each other of which route services are required so that the relevant kombis are cleared to return to Copacabana to pick up passengers.

Both Copacabana and the holding bay are controlled by police and boom gates, and they operate from 8am to 5pm.

And that is where the biggest challenge has been so far.

Before 8am and after 5pm, the kombi crews once again do as they please and congest the city in addition to posing a danger to human life and property.

Further, owners and crews of omnibuses are not too pleased, complaining that the new system has seen a decline in revenues because their vehicles are not always on the road.

Mr Dhewa Mutambara, who plies the City-Kuwadzana route, says: “Because we now have delayed schedules, we find ourselves cashing around US$40-US$50 per day as compared to US$70-US$100 per day that we used to when we were operating (as we pleased).

“This is because we will have maintained our queues and as such have seen our seven to eight trips trimmed to about five at most during the day.”

Another problem that has risen is that defiant crews totally shun the bay and illegally mount their own pick-up and drop-off points (“mushika-shikas”) just about anywhere they can.

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For instance, kombis operating the western suburbs are seen playing cat-and-mouse with city authorities at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Chinhoyi Street. This causes congestion and potentially results in traffic accidents as the kombis speed off dangerously whenever crews spot authorities.

Council spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi has declared war on “mushika-shikas”.

“We have declared war against those who are operating illegally in the city, especially those ‘mushika-shikas’, and if we catch them they will pay heavy penalties ranging from a minimum of US$800 to US$1 000.

“We are also giving a stern warning to commuter omnibus drivers who are hiking fares from R5 to US$1. If you are caught, you will be clamped and your vehicle confiscated,” he said.

It is unclear how the city will deal with fare levels as this has been the regulatory function of central government for years.

Urban planning expert Mr Percy Toriro says there are some loopholes that need fixing.

“Certainly council has made a good move, it is a step into the right direction but the system is still far from perfect according to some observations that we have made. For instance those commuters which are unregistered are now avoiding the holding bay loading illegally; this will demotivate others who are abiding by the law (to also break the law).

“council must come up with mechanisms to encourage those who are abiding by the law. Council must continue to efficiently monitor the process until it is perfected like in other countries such as South Africa,” said Mr Toriro.

Because of congestion issues, kombi operators are also proposing that the council clears routes use by commuters from the holding bay to Copacabana.

They suggest that Cameron Street be converted into a one-way street and the upper route of Robert Mugabe Street be used by kombis from the holding bay only.

“We are still receiving input on the improvements that needs to be done, including input from the commuter operators and various stakeholders. People and the operators should also bear in mind that it is a process not an event.

“The holding bay will assist in the partial decongestion in the city roads. However, on its own it will not clear all the congestion in the city. There is also need to introduce the mass bus transport system and to gradually phase out the smaller commuter omnibuses,” responded Mr Gwindi.