05 Aug 2015

Scheduled routes mini pitso has enabled stakeholders to share ideas on how best to take the bus industry forward.

Palapye hosted this unique event that saw bus operators and national regulators sit around the boardroom table as equals and strike a new path for one of the most significant economic drivers.

From the onset, the tone was set as all were reminded that the meeting was solely for sharing ideas and not antagonism.

During the opening remarks, Kgosi Maforaga said in years past, Palapye could be traversed on foot from one end of the village to the other. With developments, came the need for transport to ferry both goods and people.

He was making the utterance not only as an aulic dignitary but also a native who saw Palapye grow from an arcadian to a semi urban area it is at present. The acting director of the Department of Road Transport and Safety,  Mr Tlhogo gave a key note address of objectives after which an intense hard hitting discussion ensued.

Central to his address was competitiveness and the significance of using rank facilities and bays effectively and purposefully.

He highlighted the importance of treating passengers for their worth as they were central to bus transport operations.

Bus operators, he said, were implored to run and manage their own fleet as they were the ones who bore the brunt when things did not go well.

Mr Tlhogo decried the new trend of operators who applied for long route permits that required high capacity carriers but soon after approval they wanted to use low capacity buses.

He said such behaviour betrayed the ethos of competition. Questions and comments came in thick and fast from the participants who were mostly bus owners. Emotions simmered as almost all wanted to state their individual grievances and be afforded such attention.

It was then that the moderator decried the apparent disunity among operators and implored them to get into partnerships. The operators had a lot they wanted resolved and this came to the fore when a representative of Botswana Bus Operators Association was given the floor.

Mr Ndipo Mokoka stated that as a national association, they received too many complaints from other operators. Topping the list was the issue of road traffic warrants, which he said were expensive to process and they preferred cheques instead.

He said they had a problem with their buses being flagged when transgressions were perpetrated by their drivers. He also complained the system of paying half ticket which he said disadvantages operators. On fleet road worthiness he said road conditions contribute to the deplorable condition some of the buses are in.

Temporary permits were singled out as fuelling conflict as they overwhelmed regular operators. The general laxity by authorities was faulted for escalating conflicts among operators and Mr Mokoka said that needed urgent attention as this could escalate into bloodshed.

Superintendent O. Baodirile of Botswana Police Service said though fatalities of accidents that involved public transport had reduced, loss of lives was still a concern.
Superintendent Baodirile attributed these road fatalities to non-compliance with safety belts.

He said though there are many causes of road accidents, chief among them are excessive speeding and the general disregard for road signs and signals. To mitigate problems belying the public transport, he said they have come up with several initiatives and control measures. ENDS