GoZ to Raise Minimum Age for Kombi & Bus Drivers to 30
Ah, the government's latest brainwave: raising the minimum age for kombi and bus drivers. Because, you know, nothing screams “responsible driving” like a few extra years under your belt.
So, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Felix Mhona, has been doing some mental gymnastics. He proposes to crank up the age limit from 25 to 30. That way, only the seasoned, worldly-wise drivers will be found behind the wheel of our beloved kombis and buses.
Zimbabwe is hemorrhaging fatalities like a leaky faucet—around 2,000 per year, to be precise. Not exactly a sustainable business model. The price tag is a whopping US$406 million annually.
Mhona said:Â “I am sure the legal department in my Ministry is working with the Attorney General in that regard and we are saying for public vehicles, we were sticking to 25 years and we are now advocating to increase.
“Within the SADC region, the minimum age is 30 years for public service vehicles and that will then address the overzealousness of some of these drivers that are driving our public service vehicles.
GoZ to Raise Minimum Age for Kombi & Bus Drivers to 30
“We are losing close to 2,000 per annum in terms of fatalities, which is not sustainable and when it comes to the monetary element, we are losing close to US$406 million per year towards fatalities, injuries, hospitalisations and even causing unnecessary burden to beneficiaries.”
Commenting on the proposal to raise the minimum age limit for public service drivers, Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators (GHACO) chairman, Ngoni Katsvairo, said:
“Experience and maturity come with age, which is why the constitution stipulates that one must be 40 years or older to be considered for Presidential election candidacy.”
However, Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDCO) president, Fradreck Maguramhinga said the country does not have a lot of drivers that are over the age of 25. He said:
“While we understand the need for more mature drivers, we have very mature drivers between 25 and 30 years old.
The majority of drivers who are being reckless are below 25 and we propose maintaining the 25-year age limit for small public service vehicles like commuter omnibuses, as drivers tend to prefer heavy-duty trucks and buses once they reach 30.”
