Zimbabwe’s bus shortages are making passengers miserable Business and Economic News

Harare, Zimbabwe – Masimba Gwazho is waiting in line at the Harare Central Bus Terminal in the capital of Zimbabwe.

“I’ve been in this line for about an hour,” the 39-year-old bricklayer told Al Jazeera.

More than 100 people have formed a crooked line behind it – all trying to reach Chitungwiza, a satellite 25 km south of the Valley.

They are not the only frustrated travelers. Line by line, all trying to reach the surrounding villages, which fill the bus station, one of the busiest pick-up and drop-off points in the capital.

Gwazho said he had to wait five minutes to catch the bus before the coronavirus pandemic. But now: “You can wait an hour or so here to go home by bus,” he said.

“Every day, this is our life.”

Suburban buses are small vans fitted with seats to carry 18 passengers. They have been the country’s preferred intercity transportation for more than two decades, praising their efficiency and speed.

But when the pandemic hit Zimbabwe last year, authorities banned round-trip omnibus operators from carrying out their route as part of a set of measures designed to stop the spread of the virus.

Three blocks and more than a year later, the buses have the green light to run again. But the number of people returning to the service is small.

Expensive alternatives

Prior to the pandemic, there were 50,000 passenger buses operating in the country, Ngoni Katsvairo, a representative of the Ngoni Katsvairo High Valley Suburban Omnibus Operators, told Al Jazeera.

Today, he said, they are about 1,500, a 97 percent drop.

One factor that prevents more omnibuses from returning is the fact that only Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) contracted fighters pass through the roundabouts set up in the pandemic to ensure that virus containment measures are easily observed. .

Katsvairo estimates that less than 100 of the 900 suburban buses operating in Harare have partnered with ZUPCO. He said operators can earn more money by working independently, along with reducing roadblocks to COVID-19 restrictions.

That’s quiet for frustrated travelers, especially those who need to travel to the capital.

Simbarashe Gwasera is a resident of Kuwadzana, a dense neighborhood west of Harare. When Al Jazeera caught him, he said he had been waiting at the local bus station for more than an hour.

“At least four buses passed by and were full,” he said.

Gwasera said he can’t take a walk.

The bus fare is Zimbabwe $ 30 ($ 0.21), while an informal trip in a passenger car costs Zimbabwe $ 80 ($ 0.57) – a serious price difference in a country with triple-digit inflation and stagnant wages.

“I’m only 30 [Zimbabwean] they put dollars on me so I have no choice but to wait for the buses, ”he said.

There are also more commuting issues. Gwasera said he usually finishes work around 4:30 p.m. – rush hour.

“I don’t even bother to go to the village bus station after work,” he said. “You can get out of town around 7pm or 8pm if you use buses.”

Tap the card

Some passengers also complain that some ZUPCO bus drivers refuse to accept the money and instead insist that customers have to pay with touch cards – electronic debit cards that can be charged with prepaid bus credits.

William Basopo found no luck last Tuesday. The tapas ticket had been taken out, and several buses that had arrived at the Kuwadzana station waiting would not accept the money.

“The buses that came in wanted only tapas tickets,” the 52-year-old told Al Jazeera.

They know that those who have credit on their tap tickets take advantage of the situation to pay a Zimbabwe $ 50 premium ($ 0.35) to passengers who do not have a tap card or have empty tickets.

The Zimbabwean cabinet said in May that it would approve the “urgent hiring” of 667 additional buses across the state to improve the efficiency of ZUPCO and calm travel.

Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said ZUPCO will restore traditional bus routes, use designated bus stops, meet established bus schedules and improve the electronic payment system.

For trips that are born in long queues or are caught with empty touch cards, these improvements can’t come soon.

“Last week I couldn’t get the transport back home because I had the money,” Basopo said. “I bought half the bread and went back to work.”