ZUPCO Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Everesto Madangwa, has revealed the company’s plans to introduce a pre-booking system for inner-city routes.
Speaking to the Herald when the company is expecting another batch of an unquantified number of buses to arrive next month from China and South Africa, Madangwa said:
We are working on modalities to introduce a pre-booking system for inter-city routes for the convenience of travellers…
As it stands, passengers pay when boarding with either cash or tap cards which have to be loaded before coming to the bus. The new system would mean that individuals would have to pay in advance.
ZUPCO currently has 516 conventional buses and 458 commuter omnibuses with the target of the company being to register 1000 commuter omnibuses which together with conventional buses will service both urban and inter-city routes.
Madangwa also indicated that the company intends to provide an uninterrupted and affordable commuter service during the festive season when transport operators traditionally hike fares drastically.
Compared to private commuter omnibuses, the heavily subsidised Zupco buses and Kombis charge very little fares thereby attracting most of the commuters who can no longer afford private transport due to the deteriorating economy.
More: The Herald