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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) has said police should devise new strategies to deal with pirate taxi drivers who are evading roadblocks where their vehicles are supposed to be inspected.
In an interview on Friday, Bulawayo VID Depot deputy manager Mr Exevier Dzimba said most pirate taxi drivers evade roadblocks, making it impossible for them to inspect the vehicles.
He said the trend was worrying as the public was boarding these vehicles yet they are not certified to carry passengers.
Mr Dzimba said even though police were trying their best to deal with the situation, there is a need to devise new methods of dealing with the problem.
“If we try to stop them so that we inspect their vehicles they do not comply with orders from our officers because they operate illegally. It is our duty to check whether their vehicles are roadworthy,” said Mr Dzimba.
He said the VID was mounting roadblocks with assistance of police officers but the pirate taxi drivers were not complying with orders to stop even from police in uniform.
Mr Dzimba said members of the public should desist from boarding pirate taxis as most of the vehicles do not have passenger insurance and in the event of an accident they will not be compensated.
“Some of the drivers don’t even have licences thereby putting the passengers’ lives at risk,” he said.
— @nqotshili
Online Reporter