adminBlessings Chidakwa
Herald Reporter
Commuter omnibus operators are angry that Harare City Council is charging two sets of fees at Simon Muzenda Street bus terminus, the fee of US$84 every three months and a dollar for each entry.
The local authority regained control of the bus terminus recently and is charging US$1 per entry, double-billing kombis that are already paying US$336 annually for the same service.
While the municipality has staff at the entrances, it still allows a large number of vendors to take control of swathes of the terminus and has made no attempt to remove those who get in the way of the buses and commuters.
Six weeks after imposing the flat US$1 for commuter omnibus entry at the terminus, officials have been frustrating several attempts to meet with the kombi operators.
In a letter from Mutonhori Attorneys addressed to council, Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators (GHACO) chairman, Mr Ngoni Katsvairo raised the red flag.
GHACO is one of the two largest associations of operators that have been instrumental to ensure that kombis are registered and law abiding.
“Our members are being charged US$1 per entry into the rank despite us having the requisite rank disk that we fork out an already exorbitant US$84 per quarter given we are not receiving any services from Harare City Council,” he said.
“The purpose of the rank disc is to allow a commuter omnibus access to a terminus with all the requisite statutory and by-law levies being catered for within that US$84.The new measures are in effect a double dipping on the part of council as it is deriving revenue twice for a single service,” said Mr Katsvairo.
He also bemoaned that non-compliant, non-registered and non-public service vehicles were being allowed to operate in the rank.
“They do not want to remove the touts so long they are also taking their loot, yet the council is lying to the nation that they have taken control of the rank from touts.
“It is a big and deep corruption cartel running the rank and all other ranks needing strong anti-corruption measures. In all these commuters and operators are the biggest losers as they are mistreated and fleeced huge sums of money respectively on a daily basis,” he said.
HCC town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said they are now in charge of the Simon Muzenda Street rank and are looking forward to doing the same at Julia Zvobgo Street (ex Rezende Street), Copacabana and Charge Office, then finish off at Market Square.
“We are now in charge of the Simon Muzenda Street rank and per day, we are collecting around US$800. For the safety of our employees, we will build guardrooms and we will have cash-in-transit vehicles collecting money from the ranks at regular intervals throughout the day.
“Council is accepting all forms of payment, including point-of-sale electronic transactions. We are also working on introducing an electronic system that shows the head office all money that would have been paid by transporters in real-time,” he said.
Harare has at least five associations representing bus and commuter omnibus operators, boasting approximately 800 members.
Online Reporter