GTLBSA chairperson Gibson Matenge said that they agreed at a meeting with the officials at the Ministry of Works and Transport that the buses must not be allowed to drop passengers after 8am. "We will soon be seeing the commissioner of police on how they should be helping us with this issue," said Matenge, who stated that the buses are always seen dropping passengers over the city throughout the day.
"Unfortunately if you take a decision there is someone who is bound to be hurt and made to suffer and in this case it was the public transport users," he said of their boycott yesterday morning, which left commuters stranded.
For his part, Works and Transport assistant minister Frank Ramsden said that they met yesterday with representatives of the association but did not agree on anything.
He stated that the buses would stop their operation at 8 am because they did not have a stipulated time. "We were not aware that the strike was going to happen, we only heard that through the television. We, however, urged them to resume their services to help the public," Ramsden said.
When asked about their poor customer service earlier, Matenge stated that there is no law that requires all taxis and mini- bus operators to be members of the association. He indicated that because their association was voluntary, they did not expect every driver or conductor to attend their workshops on customer service. He pointed out that if membership had been mandatory, it would be easier to impose rules and sanctions on rude drivers and conductors.
