VICTORY FOR PUPLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS

MANZINI – Finally, the proposed formation of route companies has been stopped but the debate within the transport industry is far from over.
The proposal was stopped by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Makhosini Mndawe, on Monday.

Duma Msibi, the Chairman of the Road Transportation Council revealed this during a meeting which was held at Swazi Commercial Amadoda Hall yesterday where the council was reporting back to the public transport association’s executive about their meeting with the PS on Monday.
Msibi said the council met with the PS because the Minister, Lindiwe Dlamini, whom the operators had demanded to meet over the issue of the proposed route companies, was out of the country.
“We agreed with the PS that the proposed formation of route companies should stop with immediate effect,” Msibi said.
He said the agreement was to the effect that no one should continue discussing the issue as it was totally removed from the agenda.

On another note, Msibi said they set up the meeting with the PS because they were aware that the operators wanted to action if the matter was not resolved. The route companies, which were also referred to as bus companies, were supposed to take over the congested routes in the country and the Manzini-Mbabane route would have been the first one to be affected.

After the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Dlamini, issued a statement explaining the drive behind the proposed route companies, public transport operators rejected her explanation and threatened to park their vehicles if the process was not stopped.

In their meeting last week, they tasked the council to set up an appointment with the minister so that they could voice out their concerns directly to her because they were against the proposal.
The proposal of route companies is said to have come after the Road Transportation Board (RTB) felt that some of the routes in the country, like the Manzini-Mbabane route were congested and the organisations were supposed to take over those routes.
However, the public transport operators felt that the formation of route companies would take away business from them.
During the meeting, they said the route companies would not work for them even if they were going to be members because they could not be able to maintain their vehicles with the salary they would get.
Their assumption was that they would get little when compared to the current status quo where they are their own bosses.

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