THE Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) yesterday re-introduced buses on its long abandoned urban routes.
Report by Staff Reporter
NewsDay saw one of the new buses plying the Harare-Norton route, but the blue and yellow buses failed to make the expected massive visibility in Harare. Zupco operations manager Kudakwashe Marayini said only seven buses, one each for the selected routes, had been launched in the capital yesterday.
The routes that had been allocated buses as of yesterday included Norton, Chikurubi, Kuwadzana, Domboshawa, Epworth and Chitungwiza’s Seke 1 & 2 and Makoni Shopping Centre.
“As we begin to service these routes, the buses might not be visible as we will service these routes during peak hours in the mornings and in the evenings only,” he said. “We, however, believe our visibility will increase with time.”
Zupco withdrew its fleet from urban routes at the turn of the millennium as its fleet size continued plummeting to unsustainable levels.
The bus company has acquired over 200 new and reconditioned buses which are parked inside its Belvedere depot, ready for takeoff.
It was anticipated that Zupco’s rebound into urban routes would worsen the plight of kombi operators whose business was already under threat from police and municipal raids.
