By Daily Revelation Editor
The Commuter Rights Association of Zambia (CRAZ) president Aaron Kamuti says his association opposses conditions presented by the Bus and Tax Owners Association of Zambia (BTOAZ).
He said the conditions, which included lifting the night travel ban, removing GPS on buses and increasing the speed limit for long distance buses was not feasible and prioritised profits over passenger safety.
Last Thursday, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), and the Bus and Taxi Owners Association and government held a meeting where the above demands were presented to minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali.
We support Kamuti in stating that the existing regulations were put in place to protect passengers lives during long distance journeys.
Surely, there would be no improvement whatsoever in the manner buses operate if the measures currently in space were to be softened, just as Kamuti has correctly pointed, that they are mostly motivated by profits while treating other considerations secondary.
And we urge the government not to give in to the demands, even if there were to be further risks of strikes from the bus operators. We all must appreciate to come to one judgement to call out a wrong whenever a wrong has been committed.
RTSA recently suspended the operating licence of Juldan Motorways for three months. Transport and Logistics minister Frank Tayali said the suspension was due to non-compliance with GPS installation requirements and repeated violations of the driving ban, which were linked to the fatal Kafue road accident on October 15, 2024, that claimed four lives and left several others critically injured.
If the licence was suspended solely on account of those conditions pronounced by Tayali, besides any other narrow considerations, especially bordering on politics, then all the well meaning people must actually support the same move, including the people who were sadly inconvenienced during the period of that strike.
And the recent protest should not be used by the bus owners to try to blackmail the government into ceding room over the regulations that have been put in place on night travel. In fact, we urge the government to impose more stricter restrictions over an above those already in place to secure more lives. One can only imagine, that despite those regulations, people have continued dying and getting injured from the road accidents. How much worse would that be if regulations were to be softened? We know that despite assurances for improved safety, bus drivers being human that they are will forget about those pledges the very moment the restrictions were lowered.
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By Daily Revelation Editor
The Commuter Rights Association of Zambia (CRAZ) president Aaron Kamuti says his association opposses conditions presented by the Bus and Tax Owners Association of Zambia (BTOAZ).
He said the conditions, which included lifting the night travel ban, removing GPS on buses and increasing the speed limit for long distance buses was not feasible and prioritised profits over passenger safety.
Last Thursday, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), and the Bus and Taxi Owners Association and government held a meeting where the above demands were presented to minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali.
We support Kamuti in stating that the existing regulations were put in place to protect passengers lives during long distance journeys.
Surely, there would be no improvement whatsoever in the manner buses operate if the measures currently in space were to be softened, just as Kamuti has correctly pointed, that they are mostly motivated by profits while treating other considerations secondary.
And we urge the government not to give in to the demands, even if there were to be further risks of strikes from the bus operators. We all must appreciate to come to one judgement to call out a wrong whenever a wrong has been committed.
RTSA recently suspended the operating licence of Juldan Motorways for three months. Transport and Logistics minister Frank Tayali said the suspension was due to non-compliance with GPS installation requirements and repeated violations of the driving ban, which were linked to the fatal Kafue road accident on October 15, 2024, that claimed four lives and left several others critically injured.
If the licence was suspended solely on account of those conditions pronounced by Tayali, besides any other narrow considerations, especially bordering on politics, then all the well meaning people must actually support the same move, including the people who were sadly inconvenienced during the period of that strike.
And the recent protest should not be used by the bus owners to try to blackmail the government into ceding room over the regulations that have been put in place on night travel. In fact, we urge the government to impose more stricter restrictions over an above those already in place to secure more lives. One can only imagine, that despite those regulations, people have continued dying and getting injured from the road accidents. How much worse would that be if regulations were to be softened? We know that despite assurances for improved safety, bus drivers being human that they are will forget about those pledges the very moment the restrictions were lowered.
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