The Government has lifted the suspension on three public transport operators’ licences, Blue Circle, City Bus and Simlex Coaches, following a review of their operations.
Blue Circle and City Bus were suspended from operating in March this year after a horror crash involving coaches from the two companies claimed 13 lives and left scores injured along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.
The collision occurred when a City Bus coach, carrying 25 passengers, struck a donkey and veered into the path of a Blue Circle bus with 43 passengers on board, leading to a head-on collision.
Simlex was also ordered to suspend operations in March after one of the company’s coaches was involved in an accident on 9 March, in Western Cape, South Africa, which resulted in the death of 13 Zimbabweans and injuries to 12 others.
The bus was travelling from Harare to Cape Town when it collided with a haulage truck along the Hex River Pass, approximately 140 kilometres before Cape Town.
Addressing journalists in Harare, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said that the three companies had multiple breaches of license terms and conditions. He said:
Swaymo Enterprises Pvt Ltd runs Blue Circle while City Bus is operated by Wipeco Investments Pvt Ltd.
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The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development wishes to advise members of the public that it has lifted the suspension of the licences for operation of all omnibuses belonging to Swaymo Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd; Wipeco Investments (Pvt) Ltd and Simlex Coaches (Pvt) Ltd with effect from 3 June, 2024.
The said operators breached the terms and conditions of the licenses issued to them, leading to fatal road crashes that occurred on 9 and 16 March 2024 in Western Cape, South Africa, and in Beitbridge respectively.
They operated public service vehicles without valid motor and passenger insurance, certificates of roadworthiness, road service permits, installed speed monitoring and limiting devices, and employed drivers without the requisite competencies.
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According to a statement posted on the Ministry’s X page, all transport operators will be placed under heightened “Compliance monitoring”, using ICT tools to track compliance each time they pass through toll checkpoints. Said Mhona:
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Going forward bus operators will be placed on a Compliance Monitoring Programme to continually assess adherence to regulatory requirements and further reiterated that the Ministry will make use of ICT tools to monitor compliance of all transport operators to ensure regulatory violations are recorded in real-time as vehicles pass through tolling points.
Hon Mhona further condemned the recent acts of public violence at bus loading bays and ranks in Mutare saying such actions severely impact on safety and security of commuters, bus crews and members of the public, especially children, women and people with disabilities.
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More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Govt Lifts Suspension On Three Bus Operators Two Months After Fatal Crashes

Blue Circle and City Bus operations have been suspended with immediate effect after a horror crash involving coaches from the two companies claimed 13 lives and left scores injured along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road on Saturday last week.
The collision occurred when a City Bus coach, carrying 25 passengers, struck a donkey and veered into the path of a Blue Circle bus with 43 passengers on board, leading to a head-on collision.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development found the two buses had violated regulations on road traffic and safety management.
In a statement, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona said that he had issued a directive to the Commissioner of Road Transportation to invoke provisions of Section 17(b)(i) of the Road Motor Transportation Act.
As a result, the licenses of Swaymo Enterprises Pvt Ltd (trading as Blue Circle) and Wipeco Investments (Pvt) Ltd (trading as City Bus) have been immediately suspended from operating their buses on all routes.
Minister Mhona said the City Bus vehicle, registration number AEU5845 and belonging to Wipeco Investments, did not have a valid certificate of fitness thus contravening Section 31 of the Road Traffic Act. He added:
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The vehicle also did not have a Speed Limiting Device as required by Section 3(1)(b) of Statutory Instrument 118 of 2023.
In addition, the driver of this bus did not have a valid defensive driving certificate issued by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe in terms of Section 4(b) of Statutory Instrument 168 of 2006.
Swaymo Enterprises Pvt Ltd did not cooperate with our investigations to establish the compliance status of the driver and vehicle registration number AEU6763.
Therefore, our inference is that the driver was not compliant with the regulatory requirements prescribed under the above-mentioned statutes.
Similarly, the operator was not compliant with the same regulations including Section 12(1) of the Road Motor Transportation Act and thus did not have a route authority authorizing the bus to operate the service.
The above violations by the two bus operators are a serious breach of the terms and conditions of their operators’ licenses issued for them to operate in Zimbabwe.
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Zimbabwe Passenger Transport Organisation (ZPTO) vice chairperson Leonard Mukumba told <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/horror-crash-2-bus-operators-licences-suspended/">The Herald</a> that they had also suspended the two members as an association. He said:
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Sadly, two of our members Blue Circle and City Bus have been suspended for failing to comply with the basic road requirements to operate.
As an association, we commend the Government for suspending the two operators after their findings.
We have also suspended the two pending investigations. The two ceased to be our members the moment they failed to comply and were suspended by the Government.
We urge other members to make sure that they are operating within the confines of the law.
As we go into the Easter Holidays, we encourage authorities to take stern measures provided by our laws against those who wantonly and blatantly violate road traffic rules and regulations.
The safety and security of all commuting public cannot be taken for granted.
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More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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