Council is set to reclaim its bus termini in and around the city with plans to modernize them and adopt a franchise model for mass transportation.
Council is set to reclaim its bus termini in and around the city with plans to modernize them and adopt a franchise model for mass transportation.
In an interview Mayor Cllr Jacob Mafume said the Zupco model was not working and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has surrendered the transport sector back to the city.
“We are re looking at our transport sector because it cannot continue at the subsidised rates as is the case between ZUPCO and the Governments. Clearly that is an unsustainable model. Council is going to do an urban franchise model whereby it is going to invite actors with relevant capacities to operate in particular routes with buses that are adequate for the route,” he said.
“We will introduce a modern payment system after carrying out stakeholders’ consultation. We want to make sure that we reintroduce the metropolitan transport services. Eventually we are going to integrate light rail into that system as we go on,” he said.
At the moment, most of cities operate on a franchise model where they give particular operators routes to operate in.
“We agree on the terms, how they will operate and the quantity of buses that will operate on each route,” added the Mayor.
“We need to bring order to the transport sector and metropolitan transport service so that it is safe and conducive.”
