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Of touts and kombi drivers

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IT is shocking to know that touts and commuter omnibus crews are the propitious people who can cause violence, confusion not to mention accidents in the capital and other urban areas in Zimbabwe. If it were to be the subject of a vote it can be safely be assumed that millions of people would rush to the polls without registering. Commuter omnibuses help a lot of Zimbabweans to reach different destinations, but it has become a miracle for one to reach his or her destination. People now turn their eyes to the heavens for protection because commuter omnibus drivers and their conductors seem to have been possessed by a demon. It seems what is important to them is only money for themselves as well as their bosses. The need to reach their daily targets pushes them to harass not only passengers but other road users. It is very difficult for one to get into a commuter omnibus of his or her choice because of the touts. It seems harassment is the only language they understand because they prefer force to persuasion. The touts harass commuters for the sake of a quick buck since touting is their only source of livelihood. The police have tried several times to get rid of touts but their efforts have been in vain. Touts always persist in going back where the police do not want them. Because of the harassment and noise they are subjected to by touts many commuters now prefer private cars over commuter omnibuses. Complaints have been raised about commuter omnibus drivers who drive recklessly, often turning the Highway Code upside down. There is often drama along Julius Nyerere Way and Robson Manyika Avenue as police smash windscreens in a bid to bring sanity on the roads. The police are often forced to use these heavyhanded methods as the commuter omnibus crews have literally become a law unto themselves. Even at the designated ranks, they are rowdy. It becomes a nightmare to drive in the CBD when traffic lights are on the blink because of power cuts. In such circumstances commuter omnibuses usually behave as if other motorists do not exist. I remember one day when I was in a commuter omnibus when the traffic lights next to Coca-Cola factory along Seke Road malfunctioned and there was a lot of commotion. It was a terrible scene in which a lot of cars got stuck in the middle of the road. A commuter omnibus driver who was supposed to give way to motorists approaching from the right insisted on having the right of way. This is because the commuter omnibus operators only give way to each other at such times. Other road users are not given the chance to move by the commuter omnibus drivers. This madness is not confined to city streets alone, but is common along the highways as well. It is the speeding and careless driving which has turned most urban and suburban roads into the proverbial traffic jungle. A plea has also being raised by passengers towards the commuter omnibus operators who refuse to drop people at their designated points. Once they have collected the fares, kombi crews can decide to cut short a journey. For example, it has become common for commuter omnibus operators to exchange or pass on passengers from one commuter to the other. This has raised the ire of passengers who sometimes are left at wrong destinations. Recently, a conductor was electrocuted in Mbare following a dispute over change. The incident occurred when a passenger demanded her five rand which the conductor insisted he did not have. The woman got furious to the extent of exchanging blows with the conductor who fell in a gully with live electricity cables which resulted in him getting electrocuted. Luckily, the woman escaped with burns. Hwindis have also become notorious for “marrying” male and female commuters to circumvent giving them change, often with unhappy consequences. A good example is the case of a woman who nearly received a hiding from her husband when she was compelled to share a plate of sadza with a male passenger. Though commuters accept and appreciate some of the challenges that transporters experience, including the shortage of coins, it is critical for them to cultivate good relations with the people in order for their businesses to thrive. It is unfortunate that up to six people were killed in a horrific accident along Samora Machel Avenue earlier this week in the latest of a litany of crashes involving a commuter omnibuses. It is regrettable that commuter omnibus drivers act as if they are carrying lifeless objects. They must realise that the most important thing in a bus is the passenger and not the wheel spanner. Human life is so precious and it is imperative for commuter omnibus drivers and their conductors to bear this in mind as they ply the city streets and highways.

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