Although the dispute is between ZUPCO and its employees, the passengers suffer the most as they have to either walk long distances to get to where they need to go or just wait for alternative transport in long queues.

Why strike?

According to some employees, the root cause of the strike is the delays in salary payments by the company. “Today we decided not to report for duty because the company is taking us for fools. We haven’t been paid since December 14 and when we try to engage the management, they don’t give us a satisfactory answer, they always beat around the bush,” one of the employees told New Zimbabwe.

The commuter omnibus owners who contracted their vehicles to ZUPCO said they were was an agreement that they will be paid ZWL$7 200 per day but they were yet to receive their January payments. They are also unhappy that they cash their money in Rand and US dollars but they are paid in local currency.

These vehicle owners have to also put up with disgruntled employees because by the time the money is received, inflation rates would have decreased its value. They also have to deal with servicing their cars and most parts are bought in US dollars.

Basic Business

Commuters have had to  walk long distances to their workplaces and homes due to this strike. Some had to wait in the rain and one ca only imagine how difficult it will be when children start going to school. While its commendable that ZUPCO wants to provide affordable transport for commuters, its important to balance the satisfaction of the employees and the customers.

The post ZUPCO Strike Continues. Commuters Feel The Pain appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

ZUPCO prices were last reviewed in July 2021. In comparison to the prices for transport such as mushika shika’s and other private modes of transportation, the ZUPCO was better priced. However, due to insufficient buses, people were forced to take the higher priced illegal mushika shika  and risk being fined $2000. Another cheap option was added to the ZUPCO transport when they brought back the “Freedom Trains” whose fees were $40.

Price Hike

The prices have been adjusted as follows:

Commuter Omnibuses – from $60 to $80

Bus – from $40 to $60

Train – from $40 to $50

ZUPCO hasn’t made an official statement on this price hike, however, consumer’s were shocked this morning when they were greeted with these new prices.

ZERA Having A Part To Play In The Rise?

These hikes might be happening as anticipated because of the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA)’s October 2021 review on fuel prices.

Perhaps we could expect prices for more basic items to rise due to this fuel review by ZERA.

The post New ZUPCO Tariffs – October 2021 appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

A female ZUPCO conductor was shot and died on the spot in the Dzivarasekwa area. The police are said to have arrived late at the crime scene giving people plenty of room for speculations.

The ZUPCO conductor, Joyce Kuzhumbwa(22), was working in a ZUPCO-franchised Lofombo bus. The man who was suspected to have shot her was identified as Campion Marowa(35). Marowa is said to have worked as a security guard for a Harare company. An Astra revolver and two spent cartridges were recovered.

Campion Marowa is said to have been the last of four remaining passengers in the ZUPCO bus. He allegedly shot Joyce at Kadada Shops, Dzivarasekwa soon after 9 pm. Jeremiah Hove who was the bus driver, said the young lady was killed after refusing to surrender the bag of money.

Investigations on this case are still underway.

More to follow.

The post Update on the murder case of 22 year old ZUPCO female conductor appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

Zimbabweans have complaint about the inefficiencies of this mode of transport and its inability to fulfil the transport gap. In addition, many people who operated their private commuter’s were also pushed out of business as ZUPCO became a monopoly.

As a result of the overcrowding in ZUPCOs women often compliant of being inappropriately touched amidst the crowding. Now an even sadder development has occurred in one ZUPCO bus. A female conductor is said to have been shot as she is said to have had cash-in-transit.

This was shared by a friend of the female’s on social media:

Police are yet to investigate the issue to see what further details they can find and who  who the suspects are. However, some people are speculating that it doesn’t make sense that the female was shot over the bond notes she was carrying suggesting that perhaps there was another issue. Whatever the case may be, it is sad that such unheard of crimes are starting to take place in Zimbabwe.

Updates on this case to follow.

The post ZUPCO female conductor shot dead (image:viewers discretion advised) appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

The government gazetted fines of ZWL$2000 to any individual caught using the pirate taxis, but this has led to serious transport challenges especially on Friday 3 September which saw the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) failing to meet the demand and leaving thousands of Harare residents stranded.

The government has since promised to import more buses to bring relief to commuters, whilst ZUPCO has partnered the National Railways of Zimbabwe to re-introduce the commuter train AKA ‘Freedom Train’ to service the suburbs that are located closer to train tracks and some of these include Tynwald, Warren Park, Kambuzuma and Lochinvar.

The service is expected to start on the 7^th of September 2021.

See flyer below for times.

Whether this development will provide a lasting solution, that is left to be seen, the freedom Train has been brought to ease the transport burden but most times it gets discontinued without notice.

What do you make of this, will this be able to stop the transport woes?

The post Desperate ZUPCO partners NRZ to re-introduce the ’Freedom Train’ appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

Unregistered transport operators aka mushika shikas, have been a major concern for the government. They were made illegal and police have since been working to enforce that law. In April, there were talks of the police getting an extra hand from the army to do away with mushika shikas.

This wasn’t the last time this issue was spoken about. Several times the Zimbabwe Republic Police(ZRP) has taken to their social media pages to warn people of the dangers of mushika shikas. In addition to them being illegal, many robberies have reportedly taken place in these forms of transport.

Given the aforementioned solid reasons to avoid mushika shikas, why are people still using them?

The answer is simple, what other options do they have? In addition to being illegal and dangerous, mushika shika are actually almost double the ZUPCO fees. Obviously, no one wants to pay double when there is a much cheaper option. A lack of sufficient ZUPCOs  has been the main reason why people keep going back to mushika shikas.

Despite this shortage, the government added another measure to try and stop mushika shikas from operating. Mushika shika passengers will now be fined $2000. As expected, this has caused an outcry among Zimbabweans.

Some people already have to survive on insufficient salaries and would prefer to use ZUPCOS to save an extra buck. However, that option isn’t always available. So imagine someone like that having to fork out $2000 on an almost daily basis as ZUPCOs are still not enough.

Tragic!

Here is what some had to say about this $2000 fine for mushika shika passengers:

One would wonder how long this new measure will last or if something will be done to increase the fleet of registered ZUPCO vehicles.

The post Salary yese ku government as they demand $2000 daily for lack of ZUPCOs. Social Media Reacts appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

However, the tariffs were once again reduced as a result of the public outcry raised. The government has stipulated that fares will be as follows:

• $40 for trips less than 20 kilometres. This is a decrease from the previous $60.
• $60 for kombis which were previously at $80.
• $80 – $120 for distances from 31 to 40 kilometres.

This follows the president’s announcement of the extension of the lockdown. He also called for the de-congestion of the CBD which is to be achieved by eliminating pirate taxis.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post Government in ZUPCO price climb down appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

But you’ve probably wondered how exactly the tap card system works.

Watch the video below for a short explanation of the process that takes place behind the scene:

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post WATCH: This is how the TapCard works appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

Fast forward to the second half of 2021 and the ZUPCOs have become the main mode of transport because other close competitors were eliminated. ZUPCO seems to be enjoying a monopoly in this sector. So, now that people have no choice, the tariffs have increased.

View the new tariffs below:

You’re probably thinking of using mushika-shikas. Remember, the police have issued out a number of statements discouraging this mode of transport for various reasons.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post An update on the ZUPCO tariffs appeared first on Provoker Magazine.

A police officer is said to have been working at a roadblock in Khami Road, Bulawayo. It was at this location that the fateful incident took place. A ZUPCO bus is said to have run him over.

Further investigations are yet to be carried out, however it is said that the body has been left  uncollected for more than an hour.

More on this as details become available.

What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comment section below.

The post JUST IN: ZUPCO bus runs over police officer at roadblock appeared first on Provoker Magazine.