Principal Engineer Mubanga Mulenga(l) pointing at the run-down edge of
the Kitwe-Chingola Road cited as a safety hazard
THE Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has summoned 15 public service bus operators to explain why the agency should not suspend or revoke their Road Service Licences (RSL).
RTSA chief executive officer Zindaba Soko said that the agency has recorded 16 road traffic accidents involving passenger public service vehicles were 13 people died and 178 injured.
The operators include Mazhandu family bus services, CR holdings, Power Tools, Jitotwe bus services, Lombeson bus services, Lameck Ngona, CEA Fire comfort liners, Benard Moyo, Victor Mbao, Grand enterprises, Capital buses (Flash buses), Javice Mutale, Simon Kalunga and Euro Africa bus services and RK motorways .
Investigations by the RTSA have indicated that most of the road traffic accidents involving public service vehicles were mainly due to excessive speed and other human errors.
“As regulators of passenger public service vehicles, we are not going to allow such a situation to be left unchecked, but we are going to ensure that we enforce the Road Traffic Act in its totality to prevent any further road traffic accidents,” Mr Soko.
Mr Soko said the agency is summoning the operators whose buses were involved in the accidents so that they may explain why the agency should not suspend or revoke their road service licences.
“If found wanting the agency will not hesitate to suspend or revoke Road Service Licences (RSL) to operators who are not managing their fleet in accordance to the conditions of the RSL,” he added.
Mr Soko has also warned drivers who victimize passengers who advise them to reduce speed, saying by doing so they are flouting the Road Transport Act that the agency will prosecute such drivers.
Pliz bwana soko human error is the major reason y a rise in accidents has increased driver a busy meeting there target @ the expense of human lives sure y? Late even these so called owner instruct there driver not b b rushing for a target coz its too much. We r now afraid to use public buses but rather prefer to use a private vihecle. God help us pliz this chalo zambia is in need of prayers seroius ones satanist @ large
Why doesn’t he summon the ” roads” too? The roads in Zambia are a night mare. They are the most dangerous and treacherous roads on earth!
There are just so many buses on the road these days.In Lusaka’s soweto market the congestion by the minibuses has reached catastrophic levels.My question to RTSA IS WHY HAVE YOU CONTINUED ISSUING PERMITS WHEN THE SITUATION HAS REACHED CATASTROPHIC LEVELS?
The bus services are now competing for passengers and this has resulted in speeding and the eventual consequences of accidents.
From that list, it appears all bus operators in Zambia will sanctioned. Which one was left out?
You are right. All apart from Zambias Largest bus company ( Juldan Express) have been summoned. Mazhandu, Power Tools and Euro Africa suspension will paralyze passenger service along the line of rail.
These accidents are normal.
Gone are the horrific days of Trans-routes ( CR) and JEEFARO empire where almost all passengers would die in a single clash
JUIDAN BUS SERVICE IS NOT ON THE LIST. WELL DONE UNCLE JULY
Way to go Bwana.
Public transport should be the safest.
Most bus drivers have a tendency of either excessively talking to the conduct or are busy on the phone talking to girl friends. Am shocked postbus was not summoned which shows that Zindaba is not serious with this exercise. Postbus drivers stop anywhere as long as it involves the relative/girlfriend of the manager. I ve on several occasions complained to these postbus drivers not stop at undesignated bus stops and the answer i got was, this is the boss’s girlfriend. What can i do? We were once missed by an overloaded truck with scrap mental at a very narrow road and this postbus driver was dropping the manager’s girlfriend.
Zindaba, over speeding is not the causer its what these drivers do in their cockpit/buspit. Their manners endanger lives. They don’t concentrate
good move but nsanda’s company is missing on the list why?
how can reduced corruption with such…rubbish what explanation do the RATS need; more like how much do want to put in the brown envelop to make this go away..It’s either you are in the wrong or right do not compromise with safety!
Ubwafya abene balanda ati time bus .Its like the owners of the buses they put presure on the drivers,ngani filya ifya blue fwena fyachila ukupona pona
RTSA CEO kindly consider also the state of our roads in Zambia, is pathetic to say the least. The great north from Serenje up to Nakonde is very narrow and full of pot holes/ uneven surface and Tanzanian trucks are menace. Even where the road was recently done the road surface is bumpy. Why? Please upgrade this road and put road signs
Buses should use different speed limits. Where cars do 100KM/H buses should do 80KM/H, there should always be a difference of 20KM/H between buses and cars unless it is minimum speed limit and these should be clearly sign posted. The sign posts should be done by different companies who should be contracted by RTSA. There you go I just showed you how to create jobs. Then RTSA should invest in speeding cameras and fine drivers and and in the case of buses the bus companies should pay heavy fines. Have bus lanes in cities. Introduce effective penalty points. Roads connecting towns and cities should be 4 to 6 lane motorways with hard shoulders, not the road in the above photo, that isn’t a road. Doing things normal and having things regulated creates harmony, jobs and sanity.
RATSA should also improve or modernise their Licensing System which in many cases is very frustrating and attracts a lot of ways of corrupting some officials if one is to get the Drivers’ Licence there by making it easy for even unqualified drivers buying PSV and other related Licences. How do you explain a situation where one goes through a Driving School Course for 27 days or so many and it should take him or her unknown number of days just to pass RATSA Test which have some how been deliberately made to be almost impossible for one to pass them until they find other bypass ways to pass? Otherwise other drivers do not even know how RATSA offices or Driving Schools look and yet they posses all sorts of Drivers’ Licences.