05 Jan 2014

The Botswana Bus Operators Association (BBOA) deputy chairperson says, together with relevant authorities, they have set a regulation that disallows long distance bus drivers to undertake a three trips in a day.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Tiragalo Mponang said in the past, long distance bus drivers mostly undertook a three trips in a day during public holidays.

“You find that a bus driver would leave Gaborone at 5 am, arrive in Francistown at 10 am, drive back to Gaborone around 11 am arrive at 4pm, then undertake another trip back to Francistown,” he said. He indicated that the maximum number of trips a bus driver could do was two.

“Even with the two trips, we make sure that they get close to an hour and thirty minutes of rest before they embark on a return trip,” said Mr Mponang.

He further said reports by some people that drivers did not get sufficient rest before embarking on a return trip were not true. Mr Mponang said they planned on engaging the department of road transport and safety over the issue of temporary permits.

“What we have noticed is that those operators using temporary permits for Francistown and Selebi Phikwe were operating at a loss as most passengers disembarked at Mahalapye and Palapye with the result that buses then travel empty to the final destination. We are therefore looking to propose temporary permits for Mahalapye and Palapye,” he said.

Mr Mponang said so far they had not received any queries regarding bus drivers. ends