DRIVERS of Mutare-based conventional buses operating under the Zupco franchise have gone on a go-slow to force government to review their daily commission, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
The go-slow started on Wednesday evening, resulting in some stranded commuters walking home late into the night and continued yesterday with no solution in sight.
A public transport operator in Mutare, who declined to be named said they were getting $4 000 per bus, while commuter omnibus operators were getting $1 000 per kombi per day.
The operator said they were pushing for at least $15 390 per bus.
“We are on a go-slow because of the paltry commission we are being given. Just imagine that we are getting $4 000 per day, while kombis are getting $1 000,” he said.
“It’s peanuts, in fact, the government is now benefiting because a kombi is cashing about $3 000 per day and if I was doing it alone, I could get much higher.”
He added: “It seems it is us who are now subsidising our buses. We want the government to pay us at least $15 000 per day.”
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Another operator weighed in, saying: “We are on a go-slow, but what we are avoiding is to park at all because we don’t have any source of income, may our government will help,” he pleaded. Kombis plying the high-density suburbs routes in Mutare are charging $8, while buses are charging $4.
Zupco chief executive officer Evaristo Mudangwe said he was busy and had promised to call back later, but had not done so at the time of going to print last night.
