By Agness Changala
Bus and Taxi Owners Association of Zambia (BTOAZ) has urged transport minister Frank Tayali to reconsider his proposal to remove Toyota Hiace buses from the road.
And the association has asked Tayali to engage in stakeholder consultations and announce to the public decisions that are agreeable with everyone affected.
Meanwhile, the association says the recently hiked fuel pump prices has affected business so badly that it is unable to invest back into the growth of the sector.
Featuring on Hot FM’s Hot seat programme last week, Tayali said the government would soon remove smaller buses from the roads in order to ease congestion on roads in Lusaka.
He said being stuck in traffic for a very long time was affecting the country’s productivity.
But responding to the minister in a statement, the association stated that the decision to remove small buses from the roads could have far reaching implications on both the transport sector and the broader economy of the nation.
It stated that while the issue of addressing traffic congestion issues, the minister was urged to reconsider the approach.
“While we understand the need to address congestion issues, we urge you to reconsider the approach. Instead of outright removal, we suggest empowering operators with suitable alternatives such as Rosa buses or other vessels that align with your vision for efficient public transportation,” the association stated. “By facilitating this transition, you not only mitigate congestion but also ensure the livelihoods of countless operators who depend on these vehicles for their daily bread.”
The association has implored the minister to engage with stakeholders, including transport operators and industry experts, to comprehensively assess the implications of such decisions.
“By fostering dialogue and collaboration, we can arrive at solutions that balance the need for congestion reduction with social-economic realities of our nation,” read the statement in part.
The association also stated that the public sector served as a vital source of employment for many citizens and removal of the Toyota Hiace vehicles without adequate alternatives in place risked exacerbating unemployment levels and further straining an already fragile straining job market.
It stated that as stewards of the nation, it was incumbent upon everyone to safeguard the livelihoods of fellow citizens.
“In conclusion, we urge you to reconsider the proposal to remove Toyota Hiace vehicles from the road and instead work towards inclusive solutions that address congestion while safeguarding the interests of transport operators and the broader economy. We stand ready to engage in constructive dialogue and collaborate towards a sustainable future for Zambia’s transport sector,” the association stated.
And speaking to Daily Revelation, association chairperson Sydney Chewe accused Tayali of making the pronouncement without consulting the owners of the buses or the association which represented them.
He wondered how Zambians would be empowered if the right to operate small buses was taken away from them.
“The other point to look at is, what empowerment is when he takes away the right from operators who are Zambians and remember that public transport business, they are second in terms of employing the workers to the government,” Chewe said. “Now when they remove thousands of those small buses, what is going to be left, already we are struggling with lack of employment and the minister wants to add. What is the logic behind it … when he takes the Hiace and then he gives them an appropriate vessel which will be allowed for them to move, we don’t know?”
He said Yango taxis do not pay anything to the government yet the buses pay something and wondered why they should be taken out of business.
“Engage into a process that is agreeable by everyone. To say 10 years, a long term plan. We need to dispose of these, can we close importation of these buses, so that they can die a natural death, something like that not just to come and get us on the neck and throw us like that, it’s not making sense to us,” Chewe said.
Meanwhile, Chewe said the hike in prices of fuel had affected the association badly.
He observed that the business of buses depended so much on people but that the majority had their disposable income reduced especially that salaries had remained stagnant.
“I can confirm to you that things have become very bad for operators and remember that for the bus to move, it depends on people or passengers if they have an income. And their disposable has been affected, there hasn’t been any increase in their salaries so it means the money that they are supposed to use for transporting from point A to point B, has gone up because of the fuel that has been increased,” Chewe said.
He said due to reduced income in households, people now have stopped boarding buses.
“They have decided to walk and they have reduced the movement. They are only able to move where it is necessary, funerals, sicknesses, those occasional moments,” Chewe said.
He also said small holding and medium businesses were no longer travelling to buy things in Lusaka because of cholera and the fact that transport cost had gone up.
“As a result, they are depending on making a phone call, ordering on the phone and using the courier to transport,” he said.
Chewe said due to such changes, bus and taxi owners are failing to maintain the vehicles and meet other statutory obligations.
“We are even failing to maintain the buses. Those are the effects now, failing to pay insurances and government obligations. As a result, there is no investment. Owners of the vehicles are not investing back into the sector,” he said. “In the long run, the transport business of buses is going to deteriorate and we will provide buses that are sikolokolo (vehicle not roadworthy) so to speak. So we are badly affected because the economy is very tight at the moment.”
Chewe said the situation was getting worse by the fact Zambia was not a manufacturing country and everything, even a needle was imported.
“Everything is imported, tires are imported, lights and all these things that we use including all filters we are importing. And because of the price of the kwacha which has lost its strength, you are making too much money. For you to convert into a dollar, you have to make too much kwacha. We are affected, we are not having money left to pump into the buses. So we are deeply affected,” said Chewe.
