MAKING THE DIFFERENCE – DRAWING OUT THE OPPORTUNITIES

A few facts for us to bear in mind concerning any development;

·         If Zambia is to develop Zambians must lead this development.

·         The whole population will need to play a part. From our Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, ‘captains of industry’, workers in all sectors and everybody else in the country.

·         We all need to take a stance and positively decide what our contribution will be.

·         The first step is free, does not require any funding – We need a ‘Mind Shift.’

Now here is my take on Public Transport issues and using the same subheadings as in my previous blog-post.

Recently it has been reported that there was a horrific road accident involving a Postbus in which more than 50 people lost their lives. This was very tragic. In the new mind-set not only should this be seen as totally unacceptable but all lines of enquiry should be pursued so that lessons can be learnt.

The investigation should come up with specific lessons to be learnt from this tragedy and recommendations that must be enacted to reduce the chances of this happening again if not prevent it altogether. In other words the lessons from this accident should result in laws that will result in safer arrangements.

The Zambian government should;

·         Provide a suitable framework for regulation and management of public transport in Zambia. Where necessary enact new laws to improve standards. It must be accepted that the current arrangements are totally inadequate.

·         Ensure there is a Public Transport Agency/Board with responsibility to enforce Regulations in public transport with competent qualified Board Members.

·         Ensure vehicle maintenance and running of public transport is regulated by law so that only certified establishments are allowed to;

a.    Run public transport and

b.    Maintain public transport vehicles.

·         Ensure monitoring arrangements are in place to oversee public transport provision.

Those in Public Transport Management or other Leadership positions must;

·         Must demonstrate the competence of their business to run transport.

·         Ensure they are qualified to do their jobs and keep themselves informed of developments in their field.

·         Put passenger safety at the top of all they do.

·         Ensure lessons are learnt from this accident to effect changes in the way things are currently done.

The general travelling public should;

·         Travel on buses that are run by well organised companies.

·         Report over speeding drivers to Road traffic police and company owner.

·         Speak out if a driver is putting lives at risk.

·         Avoid accident-prone bus companies.

The opportunity

The establishment of certified vehicle repair and service garages and workshops is long overdue. These workshops should have appropriate equipment to service all makes of vehicles on Zambian roads. I must emphasise this needs to be set in partnership with the private sector. Ideally government agencies or departments would be expected to provide regulation and quality assurance. The Government needs to provide an enabling environment by legislating the necessary framework.

If you are a qualified automotive technician, Mechanical Engineer or Heavy Equipment Repair Technician you should consider setting up a workshop that shall offer a new standard of service. Team up with others and decide to specialise in service and maintenance buses. Get yourselves and your workshop certified, get TEVETA, UNZA and/or NORTEC involved. If this is you, send me an email and let’s get the ball rolling.

A word of advice…

We must ensure all possible factors are taken into account and avoid easy solutions. We should not heap blame on a single item such as driver error – although this may have played a part. Other things to consider are;

·         Why still no dual carriage way?

·         Defensive driver training?

·         Why no hard-shoulder on roads?

·         Bus and/or truck travelling too fast?

·         Experience of drivers involved?

·         Mechanical condition of vehicles involved? (especially the  brakes)

·         When was last routine service, maintenance or check up of the bus?

Gross incompetence, persistent accidents, non-compliance, bad management, etc. should result in withdrawal of transport permit or license to run a bus service and prosecutions. The opposition politicians should lead the fight to make all responsible accountable for this tragedy and make those running the country take decisive action. We all know that it is not acceptable to have this number of deaths in an accident that can be avoided. Now we should act to ensure it does not happen again or at least drastically reduce the number of fatalities and the frequency of these accidents.

My message to all Zambians is that we all need the ‘Mind Shift’ and act now.

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