An association for transport passengers called Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (Paz) has complained that recent increases of public transport fares have negatively affected commuters in the country. A representative of the association said the increases have resulted in people using unsafe means to travel such as boarding open trucks and boarding overloaded, as well as traveling during unsafe hours:
Said Paz president Tafadzwa Goliati in part:
The commuting public is being forced to use other forms of transport such as open trucks, which will be overloaded.
In many instances, school children end up sitting on each other’s laps in order to cut down on the amount of commuter omnibus fares that they will be paying.
In addition, many people are getting home as late as 10pm because of shortage of commuter omnibuses. This affects children, mothers and some people who live in areas where it’s not safe to walk during late hours. The mass transportation system introduced by the government is inadequate and most people still depend on commuter omnibuses (kombis) for daily commuting to work or school.
We recommend that the Government of Zimbabwe should prioritise and allocate fuel to commuter omnibuses who are in associations, for the convenience of the commuting public.
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