THE Commuter, a Livingstone-based association which advocates for the rights of commuters, has urged local authorities in Zambia to consider building more public toilets in bus stations and bus stops to promote a better sanitary environment.
This is in view of the fact that commuters, tourists and other bus station users have no access to clean water and sanitary facilities at most bus stations and bus stops countrywide.
Commuter Chief Executive Officer, Liswaniso Mwanalushi, said it was a well-known fact that some bus stops especially in Lusaka had been turned into bus stations by call-boys and political party cadres and hence the need to have more public toilets in such areas.
Mr Mwanalushi said in Livingstone yesterday that the bus stops at Kamwala Freedom Statue on Independence road as well as Arcade’s bus stop on Great East Road and many parts of the Freedom way in Lusaka had been turned into bus stations.
“This scenario is the same countrywide and one thing that stands out is that these places have no public toilets.
“Therefore, this situation is making life very difficult for commuters and tourists in need of the services of a public toilet because sometimes it takes very long for buses to fill up,” Mr Mwanalushi said.
The Commuter’s demand to councils is that they should recognize the bus stops and bus stations and build public toilets as the various facilities are demand driven.
“Commuters have the right to demand for bus stations and bus stops to be built at places that are convenient to them.
“In any case, new residential areas and shopping complexes have sprung up making this demand very relevant,” he said.
Mr Mwanalushi said commuters, who use public places such as bus stations and shopping malls, need access to clean water and public toilets.
He said the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit at the Ministry of Finance and officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should support the Council’s efforts of working with the private sector by allowing councils to work freely with private innovators in improving service delivery in the transport sector.
“With this hydro power shortage facing our country, biogas generated from fecal matter is an alternative option local authorities should consider promoting and using.
“Bus operators should start using buses that have toilets on board while the Government should invest in fecal sludge digesters so that buses can decant at bus stations for onward convention to gas by bus station management. This can create jobs for jobless youths especially call-boys and party cadres who are illegally managing bus stations,” Mr Mwanalushi said.
