Stranded passengers plead for kombi ban to be reversed.

The current ban on commuter omnibuses has left many people stranded and without any means to get to their various destinations. The hardest hit are those that commute to work on a daily basis.

There is an acute shortage of Zupvo buses with areas such as Mandara having a single bus that plies the Eastlea, Kamfinsa, Mandara and Chikurubi route. This has caused untold suffering for most people.

Government banned all commuter omnibuses from the roads and instead out in place Zupco buses and Zupco kombis. These are far from enough and one has to wait for hours to catch a ride. The situation has worsened by the fact that the buses only have to carry a minimum number of people due to lockdown precautionary measures of social distancing. Private cars rarely carry passengers and the fuel crisis has worsened transport woes.

Most people are crying foul and asking for kombis to be out back on the roads. Others have scoffed at government for putting a ban that perpetuates loss of revenue in the form of route authority fees, licences, toll gate fees and other ways in which it was raking in revenue through the operation of kombis.

Travelling has become a nightmare in Zimbabwe. Those in emergency situations have also had to bear the brunt of transport shortages. Even though more buses were promised, government is yet to deliver on that promise. The ministry of transport has simply been quiet on the issue of transport and fuel shortages.