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“But how many of you are in a position to carry the financial burden?” Mr Mbiriri said traffic offenders usually die or will be in intensive care units, making it difficult for them to carry the financial burden.
He said the Government was concerned with the loss of lives during holidays, which record increases in road traffic accidents.
Most of the accidents have been state of disasters.
Mr Mbiriri said human error was the major contributing factor manifest in speeding, reckless driving, drunken driving and use of ineligible drivers who do not meet the age limits and/or lack the necessary experience.
“A public transport operator who has been issued with an operator’s licence and route authority has obligations to meet,” he said.
“He or she is obliged to provide services as authorised by his route authority in terms of timetables and fare-tables.”
Mr Mbiriri said any operator who violates the conditions of route authority puts the operating licence at risk.
Some of the offences, he said, might result in cancellation of the licence.
The offences include overloading, violating timetables, overworking drivers for profits, unroadworthy buses, failure to use the stipulated triangle signs in breakdowns and failure to stick to the fare charges as stipulated on the fare tables.
“In addition, those who drive under the influence of alcohol are putting their passengers at risk and this ministry would not hesitate to revoke any driver’s licences which are abused,” he said.
Mr Mbiriri said the Government had noted that public transporters were guilty of speeding during holidays.
He urged operators to instruct drivers to desist from such activities.
“I urge you (transport operators) to go and advise your members and drivers that the law enforcement agencies will be in full force and any adverse reports from enforcement agencies to my ministry will result in appropriate action being taken on your operators’ licences,” Mr Mbiriri said.
“Our intention is to work with you. We want to see an improvement on our roads,” he said.
Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development director Mr Allowance Sango said recent studies revealed that if no action was taken by 2020, deaths from road traffic accidents would surpass those caused by malaria and HIV and Aids.
The Officer-Commanding Police National Traffic Senior Assistant Commissioner Martin Chari said the force would be out in full force to ensure sanity prevails on the roads.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo