Organised public transport way to go
Mmegi Editor | Tuesday June 30, 2015 15:11
They were responding to a call by the minister of Transport and Communications Tshenolo Mabeo to discuss this very important sector of the economy.
This meeting could not have come at the right time.
At this meeting it was revealed that over 200,000 trips are made into the city on a daily basis.
Private cars account for more than 60 percent of the trips whilst taxis and minibuses accounted for less than two percent of those. Buses and minibuses also accounted for a lower percentage.
The population in the Greater Gaborone is approximately 800,000 people and many of them commute to the city every morning, and in the evening.
Roads leading into the city are often congested and statistics show that they contribute a large percentage to accidents.
It is therefore important that stakeholders such as government and public transport operators have come together to find ways in which they can improve the sector.
The poor manner in which public transport is done in this country has resulted in many people preferring to buy their own private vehicles than rely on public transport as some of the vehicles are either dilapidated, not roadworthy, or just not complying with the stipulated times.
It is our wish that public transport needs to be more organised if we are to defeat the carnage on our roads, as well as reduce traffic congestion, which also leads to air pollution.
What should be done is for public operators to establish companies to enhance productivity, accountability and professionalism for their businesses to be more profitable. Obviously, this will not be achieved overnight, but it is encouraging to learn that the operators have gone on a benchmarking mission to a town in South Africa and they have learned that this proposal is possible.
The best way to go about this is to implement the idea in phases, starting in the Greater Gaborone area, then Francistown, then other urban areas.
This project has potential to boost our economy through creation of sustainable jobs and attraction of tourists.
It also has potential to decrease cases of drunken driving, which are mainly a result of lack of organised public transport system, as motorists use their cars for leisure time. We hope that the honourable minister Mabeo will lead this project and make it a point himself, that it is implemented within the next two years.
And he should make sure that it does not gain dust in the shelves at Government Enclave, like many others that came before it.
Today’s thought
“There can be no doubt that the transportation sector is the most critical sector of our economy.”
- Robert Brady