Zimpost spends $2m on postal buses

Published: 11 December 2013

ZIMPOST has invested $2 million purchasing five postal buses to combine the functions of public transport and mail delivery or collection, an official has said. The post-bus concept has been in existence within the postal industry for a very long time.

The concept was introduced as a means of providing public transport in rural areas with lower levels of patronage where a normal bus service is uneconomic.

Currently, the postal company has two post-buses, one covering Bulawayo- Victoria Falls route and has been operating on this route since May 2012. The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls bus besides carrying mail for offices along the route such as Lupane, Dete, Hwange, Matabisa, and Victoria Falls, it also connects the Regional Road Transport Network where the bus carries surface mail from Malawi and Zambia for onward dispatch to Botswana and South Africa by road.

The second bus, until September 2013 was operating on the Harare-Beitbridge route since March 2011. The bus was, however, redeployed to cover Harare - Magunje route.

Zimpost acting managing director Mr Sifundiso Moyo said the additional fleet would be ready next year.

"The company has placed orders for five more buses which are expected early next year. The additional five buses to be received next year are suitable for the rural terrain and will be targeted at servicing the marginalised rural areas and we will spread the routes to cover most our provinces.

"We have spent about $2 million on the additional five buses," Mr Moyo said.

In this way, he said, the company will be able to meet its Universal Service obligation of delivering mail to all areas of the country while simultaneously also recovering fares from passengers to offset the high mail distribution costs.

Mr Moyo said the new buses in Mashonaland Central province will ply the Marymount via Mt Darwin route to Harare covering areas such as Shamva, Rutope, Madziwa and Chakonda.

In Manicaland province the company is targeting Ruwangwe via Nyanga to Mutare way covering places such as Mutasa, Watsomba, Nyamaropa, Juliasdale while Hwali, Kafusi, Lubangwe, Sun Yet Sen, Homestead, Antelope, Kezi, Natisa and Matopos will be serviced by the bus set to operate the Maphisa via Manama to Bulawayo highway in the Matabeleland South province.

Passengers in Midlands will benefit through the bus that will ply the Chireya to Kadoma route servicing areas such as Tchoda, Nemangwe, Nembudziya and Sanyati.

The post-bus in Masvingo will ply the Malipati via Chiredzi to Masvingo route covering areas such as Mabalauta, Chikombedzi, Munlanguleni, Chibgwedziva, Chilonga, Hippo Valley, Triangle, Ngundu and Sese.

Zimbabwe's northern neighbour, Zambia, is running a successful post-bus operation with routes covering the entire country. It has a fleet of over 30 buses that runs daily carrying passengers and mail.
- herald

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