Bus operators back Tana, secure 35% stake
Larona Makhaiza | Wednesday November 4, 2026 06:00
Chairperson of the organisation, Tirafalo Mponang, confirmed that operators have been offered a 35% stake in the Tana Botswana project. Over the weekend, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure piloted the long-awaited Tana project in the capital, Gaborone, with four buses. Members of the public got to have the first-hand experience of the project, which is the emerging integrated public transport initiative aimed to developing a modern, accessible, and connected transport network.
With the project receiving mixed reactions from social media domains, Mponang, who represents the Bus Operators, said they harbour no resentment towards the Tana project as it totally aligns with their ambitions. He said operators have been totally kept in the loop from the conceptualisation of the project. “We have consulted with the ministry over the project, and I want to attest that we consulted rigorously,” Mponang said. “We were called on how the project will be rolled out. We were even told about the piloting on Sunday.” Not only did Mponang mention that operators were aware of the piloting, but he also highlighted that he was one of the few who got to experience the rollout of electric buses.
“We managed to attend to the piloting, and I want to say that this is a good bus like any other bus. “It has got its own driver. There are no health hazards on it just because it's electric, and it can cut your costs as an operator,” he said. As other people are raising fears government is taking jobs from operators for the already congested transport sector, Mponang holds a different view, as he highlighted that this will be a welcome development to their sector. “In one of our consultations, it was agreed upon that we will be given a 35% stake shareholding for Tana, and this means we will have profits from this project. “No decisions will be taken without our approval, and what I can say is that this will be a boom for our industry,” he confidently said.
Mponang clarified that the cries are not from the operators themselves but rather the middlemen who will feel the pinch more than them, as they will pocket more money by cutting costs. “This will be a huge investment. Why would we refuse? Imagine going from a Honda Fit taxi to an electric bus and eventually a train. “Our people agree on this; it’s only those that are just drivers and conductors, not us,” he said. He, however, advised drivers to look on the positive side of things as some of them will be absorbed into public service and will be permanent and pensionable, making it a win-win situation for the two parties.
“Government is not taking jobs from anyone and in fact, some of them will be hired by the same government, and will now have medical aids, something they have never had,” Mponang said. Since the project was rolled out for free of charge last weekend, Mponang also revealed that during consultations, the operators were accorded the chance to negotiate for bus fares, which he promised will be low compared to the existing bus fares.
On some of the outcomes of the consultative meetings, Mponang said government will wield the axe on non-compliant operators. “We will eliminate so many non-compliant operators as Tana will have an app that tracks everything. This will save our sector,” he said. Looking beyond the electric vehicles, Mponang said with the help of CEDA as the funder, Tana will expand to trains, which the bus operators will continue to be a part of, as they have a 35% stake in the Tana project.