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Blessings Chidakwa Herald Reporter
Public transporters have embarked on a campaign to reduce road carnage by ensuring passengers know their rights, including reporting bad driving behaviour.
With thousands of people travelling this festive season, passenger rights have been identified as critical in reducing road carnage.
Road accidents are common during this time of the year and transporters have now lined up a package of needed work, including servicing their buses, installing speed limits devices and conducting refresher courses for their drivers.
The manager of Stallion Cruise, Mr Noel Mutendereki, has been spending time interacting with passengers conscientising them on their rights.
“What we have done this holiday is to make sure that all our buses are well serviced to be roadworthy. But the most critical part is that we educate our passengers who are the main stakeholders in our business,” he said.
“We are educating them that they have rights as passengers, including the right to tell drivers not to behave in a rogue manner as lives are sacred. We have put up contact numbers for them to report any bad driving behaviour.”
Zimbabwe Public Transport Organisation (ZPTO) chairman Dr Sam Nhanhanga discouraged passengers from travelling while drunk, as some ended up influencing bus crews into bad behaviour.
“Our main message today is that passengers should themselves avoid being drunk as they end up cheering drivers to drive recklessly. This holiday we are saying no to those passengers who want to cause confusion on our roads,” he said.
“We say to passengers, let us behave. On our part as bus operaters, we are servicing our buses so that we reduce accidents.”
Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe director Mr Munesu Munodawafa implored passengers to report negligent driving.
“Our passengers have a role to play in reaching their destinations safely. The number one role is that passengers can desist from cheering on the drivers to speed,” he said.
“There are reports where accidents happened as a result of passengers cheering drivers to speed or overtake. Passengers also should desist from encouraging drivers to cross flooded bridges in order to beat time.”
Mr Munodawafa said passengers should also report to the nearest police station if they discovered that the driver was misbehaving on the road as there was need to observe road regulations.
According to the statistics released by the police, more than 18 people have died in separate road traffic accidents countrywide since the onset of this year’s festive season on December 15.
A passenger who was boarding a Stallion Cruise bus headed to Victoria Falls, Mrs Rudo Chenhamo, said it gave them comfort to see the operators engaging them.
“We are very grateful to what the bus operators are doing this holiday empowering us as passengers to have rights to tell drivers to behave,” she said.
Another passenger boarding a CAG Tours heading to Bulawayo, Mr Tinotenda Maruva also hailed the move by bus operators to engage them.
“I now have courage to speak out on my rights without fear as life is so precious. Today we are on our way to Bulawayo as a family so we should not risk our lives just because of the driver; so if the crew misbehaves or drives badly I can boldly report them freely,” he said.
Online Reporter