Martin Muleya
City of Mutare yesterday brought together local transport operators for an indaba aimed at encouraging commuter omnibus operators to join or form associations.
This initiative aligns with a Government directive designed to streamline the transport sector and improve service delivery.
During the indaba at Mutare hall, acting Chamber Secretary Takunda Nyamande outlined the benefits of forming associations, including enhanced regulatory compliance, improved safety standards and better coordination of transport services. By organizing into associations, operators will be able to pool resources, share knowledge and address common challenges more effectively.
“We came as the local authority to persuade transport operators to join associations. As of now we have about four commuter transport associations that is Manicaland Drivers And Transporters Association (MDATA), Urban Link, Progressive Family Trust and SCUTA. We want to encourage every transport operator to be part of an association as long as you want to be an operator in Mutare.
“There shall come a time when an operator will no longer be allowed to operate if he/she is not a member of an association. This means all the commuter omnibus plying local routes will be branded with different colours of the association they belong to,” noted Nyamande.
The local authority plans to enter into service agreements with these associations once they are established. This will enable council to allocate ranking facilities within the city, ensuring a more orderly and efficient transport system. The agreements will also facilitate closer collaboration between council and transport operators, leading to improved services for commuters.
Acting Director Special Planning Engineer Brian Sango indicated that through these associations at the moment his department was gathering data on composition of membership of various associations and the routes they ply in the city.
“This will help us in terms of enforcement and even removing mushika-shika creating chaos in the city. We will also not restrict you to only these four associations but you can even form new associations. We will give you routes based on the number of operators in that association.
The move is expected to bring numerous benefits to both operators and commuters. For operators, joining or forming associations will provide access to support and resources that can help them improve their businesses. For commuters, the improved coordination and regulation of transport services will likely result in more reliable, safe and efficient travel options.
By working together with transport operators, City of Mutare aims to create a more organized and user-friendly transport system that meets the needs of the growing population.
