Zvifadzo Lubombo Herald Reporter
Long distance bus operators yesterday said business has been low so far this festive season as few people are travelling, a situation they believe is linked to the current liquidity challenges facing the country. In separate interviews, bus operators told The Herald that this year there had been fewer travellers compared to previous years.
“This year is a tough year and very few people are travelling to their rural homes because of the financial crisis facing the country as a whole,” Mr Regis Munenzwa of Munenzwa Buses said. “There are so many buses which are ready to ferry people, but up to now business is not brisk at all.”
A visit to Mbare Bus Terminus in Harare, which provides links to all corners of teh country, revealed very little activity.
Mr Esau Mupfumi, a prominent bus operator, said the volume of travellers was low unlike what they were used to in previous times during the festive season.
“Last year by this time we were overwhelmed by the volume of travellers,” he said. “We couldn’t cope with the number of travellers. Half of our fleet of buses is parked at the garage as we speak right now owing to low volumes of travellers due to a cash squeeze.”
Another transport operator, Mr Kenneth Musanhi of Musanhi Bus Company, said cash shortages and staggered payments for workers had affected business.
“People are queuing for days just to get small sums of money because of the cash shortages that have hit the financial sector,” he said.
Even though business remained low, operators were optomistic that the situation would improve towards Christmas Day itself.