A CAG Travellers Coaches conductor has been recorded declaring that their 65 seater buses carry 102 passengers just a few days after another bus belonging to the company killed five passengers in an accident along the Karoi-Binga road.
On Monday, the conductor of a CAG bus operating the Kariba-Harare bus (ADC 0721) was recorded boasting that the bus carried passengers above its stipulated capacity.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Mhona expressed concern over road traffic accidents caused by recklessness and negligence by Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers.
Asked by NewZimbabwe.com why he was doing so, the conductor said their bus carried more than 100 passengers because they were not concerned about the number of people on it but focused more on the weight their vehicle carried. Said the conductor:
What is your problem? How has what we are doing affected you? This bus carries 102 passengers and anyway we focus on the weight this bus can carry so we are not overloaded.
The bus loader’s colleague on the same trip, wearing CAG’s Green uniform also took an active role in overloading the bus.
In Chinhoyi over 20 passengers were tricked into boarding the bus. A woman who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com said:
They told us to buy tickets before boarding, and they told us seats were there but now we are being forced to stand to Harare while carrying babies on our backs.
On Tuesday, Mhona issued a statement warning all transport operators, associations, motorists, and members of the public that stern measures will be taken provided by the country’s laws against those who wantonly and blatantly violate road traffic rules and regulations. He said:
The safety and security of all road users cannot be taken for granted. We will not hesitate to suspend and cancel the licenses of drivers and operators who violate traffic rules and regulations.
We urge all road traffic law enforcement agencies to be on high alert to enforce the road traffic laws and ensure that non-compliant drivers and vehicles do not our roads.
Mhona’s statement was in response to the viral video which captured a near accident involving a cross-border bus belonging to Mzansi Express, a haulage truck carrying highly flammable gases and other motorists.
He said the driver of the bus violated Sections 51, 52 and 53 of the Road Traffic All [Chapter 13:111 which prohibit driving without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for others, negligent or dangerous driving and reckless driving.
Meanwhile, CAG Travellers Coaches won the 2023 Best Transport Solution and Management Project with the first runner-up being InterAfrica followed by Trip Trans.
The awards organised by the Chartered Institute of Project Managers Zimbabwe (CIPMZ) were held at a local Harare hotel on 08 December 2023.
CAG Travellers director Afra Nhanhanga received the award under the Zimbabwe Project Management Achievements Awards.
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