Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
RIMBI Travel & Tours is facing renewed scrutiny after one of its drivers was allegedly caught driving while intoxicated, forcing frightened passengers to intervene and record a video that has since gone viral on social media.
The footage, which has sparked public outrage, allegedly shows the driver exhibiting signs of drunkenness while behind the wheel, raising serious concerns over the safety of passengers and the company’s ability to monitor the conduct of its drivers during long-distance trips.
In response to the incident, Rimbi Travel & Tours director Mr Decent Rimbi confirmed that the driver, Jima Simbarashe, had been suspended from driving duties pending a disciplinary hearing scheduled for September 2.
According to Mr Rimbi, the driver had been assigned to drive a Rimbi bus from Harare to Gokwe on August 19 before information emerged that he allegedly consumed alcohol during a stopover in Kwekwe.
“The incident happened on August 19, 2026, and information received alleged the driver took some alcohol in Kwekwe after 7 pm,” Mr Rimbi said..
“His driving became questionable when they reached Matambo Shops, just before Gokwe Centre.”
He said the company immediately ordered its representatives in Gokwe to remove the driver from the bus before assigning another driver to transport passengers safely to their destination.
“As soon as the information reached us about the driver being drunk, the company had the bus keys taken from him before assigning another driver who then took the bus and passengers to their final destination,” Mr Rimbi said.
Mr Rimbi said the company was unable to conduct a breathalyser test because the driver had already been arrested by the time management learnt of the incident.
He maintained that the driver had tested sober before departing Harare and that the company carries out daily breathalyser tests before assigning drivers to buses.
He said Rimbi Travel & Tours has a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol consumption while on duty and that any employee found guilty of such misconduct faces dismissal.
“It is a well-written and documented policy that Rimbi Travel & Tours does not condone any such act of gross negligence, bad behavior nor indiscipline. As such, termination of contract becomes an absolute result,” Mr Rimbi said.
The latest incident revives concerns over the company’s safety record.
The latest incident comes more than three years after Rimbi Travel & Tours was among two bus operators whose operating licences were suspended by Government following a fatal road traffic accident in January 2023.
Then, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona suspended of the operating licences of Rimbi Travel & Tours and Zebra Kiss after investigations into a crash concluded that human error was the principal cause of the accident.
The crash claimed one life and left several passengers seriously injured after a Rimbi bus rammed into a stationary tipper truck during what authorities said appeared to be a race between the two buses.
The Government said investigations conducted by the Ministry of Transport, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe and emergency health services established violations of the Road Traffic Act relating to dangerous driving.
Minister subsequently suspended the operators’ licences in terms of the Road Motor Transportation Act after allowing both companies to make representations.
At the time, Minister Mhona said Government would not hesitate to suspend or cancel the licences of transport operators found violating road traffic laws, and the safety and security of the commuting public could not be taken for granted.
He also directed law enforcement agencies to ensure operators with suspended licences did not continue operating.
The latest allegations involving an intoxicated driver are likely to reignite debate over compliance with passenger safety standards and the effectiveness of internal monitoring systems among public transport operators.
