COUNCILLORS in Bulawayo have expressed concern over the sprouting of illegal bus ranks in the city amid revelations Egodini Mall will not be able to accommodate all the buses in the city.
The city centre has seen an increase in the number of city-to-city and cross border buses that park at undesignated areas resulting in traffic congestion.
Council in 2016 contracted South African property developer Terracotta Trading (Private) Limited to redesign Basch Street terminus and turn it into a multi-purpose mall under a build, operate and transfer arrangement.
The company projected a total investment of US$60 million for the project.
The project has taken almost eight years.
Commuter omnibus loading bays and vendor stalls have since been opened.
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Council last year made a resolution to establish a public transport interchange terminal for pre-booking luxury coaches and informal trading spaces on a portion of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) land.
Ward 2 councillor Adrian Moyo moved a motion for council to rescind the decision.
“I, councillor Moyo of ward 2, hereby move that the resolution passed by the Bulawayo City Council on April 5, 2023, regarding the creation of a public transport interchange terminal on NRZ land, be rescinded and set aside on the grounds that a new transport terminal is being established at Egodini Mall,” Moyo said.
“This development will provide a dedicated and modern facility for luxury coaches ensuring proper infrastructure, security and amenities. Rescinding the NRZ terminal decision will boost investor confidence in Egodini Mall's capacity to accommodate intercity coaches and stimulate business activity there.”
He argued that the NRZ site does not address the issue raised.
“Implementing the NRZ terminal without addressing the issue of illegal operators will create an unfair environment and exacerbate existing challenges,” Moyo said.
“Several coach operators have expressed willingness to use the Egodini Mall terminal if sufficient space is allocated. This indicates that there is demand for the facilities at Egodini, further undermining the rationale for the NRZ site.”
Moyo said the proposed NRZ site lacked basic infrastructure, including adequate waiting rooms and ablution facilities.
He said redirecting intercity buses to the Egodini Mall would help to address the issue of illegal ranks and reduce congestion in the city.
Moyo said the increased traffic flow to Egodini would provide a long-term solution for the city's transport challenges.
The motion was supported by 14 other councillors.
In response to the motion, Bulawayo town clerk Christopher Dube said the NRZ site project was meant to prevent the creation of a monopoly or duopoly in the city.
“Egodini bus terminal is the biggest bus terminal in Bulawayo followed by eRenkini bus terminal. Further concentrating the transport business to these two terminuses can cause a duopoly market in the transport sector,” Dube said.
“NRZ bus terminal brings the necessary competition. Egodini bus terminus operators can increase prices above competitive levels leading to exploitation of coach operators, of which coach operators can pass on the cost to passengers by inflating their fares thereby reducing commuters' disposable income,”
He said redirecting the majority of the transport business to Egodini would result in negative externalities such as air pollution, noise pollution, overcrowding and land pollution.
Dube said the creation of an NRZ terminal could indirectly improve law enforcement in Bulawayo’s transport sector.
“Extensive consultations with coach operators have been conducted for both projects and operators have expressed willingness to move to any of the two terminals as long as there is necessary infrastructure at affordable charges. At the moment, NRZ has started sprucing up the infrastructure to suit the demands of the operators,” he said.
Dube said consultations with NRZ and several site visits provided the necessary evidence that it had adequate infrastructure, adding that permission for pick-up points in different places around the city was a temporary measure.
Dube said existence of illegal activities could also be an indication of lack of variety hence a need to spread bus terminals across the city.