THE Kitwe City Council (KCC) should consider constructing one or two more bus stations in the city to cater for the increased population and the continuous expansion of the city,” bus drivers have said
Mr Michael Kamau, one of the bus drivers, said following the increased population and the continuous expansion of the city, it was important that the local authority seriously considered constructing one or two more bus stations
Mr Kamau said during a meeting with Kitwe Mayor Mpasa Mwaya on Enos Chomba Avenue where bus drivers waiting to load on Kawama, Twatasha and Garneton routes park, that lack of adequate space to park buses while awaiting to be loaded were some of the challenges facing bus drivers.
Mr Kamau said, apart from lack of adequate space to park buses while awaiting to be loaded, pirating by unregistered vehicles was another challenge facing bus drivers in Kitwe or operators of Public Service Vehicles (PSV)
“Your worship, we are grateful that you have found time to follow us here and listen to our concerns or challenges. As you can see we are parking on the road because there is no station where we can park to wait to be loaded. Even that Kawama station is on the road.
“This city has only three bus stations, and these were the one near Euro-Bus Station, Oxford and Kitwe Main Bus Stations. The city has been expanding , the population and the number of vehicles has been increasing hence the demand to have some more bus stations,” Mr Kamau said
In response, Ms Mwaya said the concerns of the drivers were genuine and that she will take the matter to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and other relevant authorities
Ms Mwaya said the lasting solution to the increased population and continuous expansion of the city was not to put up a task force to stop pirating, but to construct a modern station where buses will be parking while waiting to be loaded
He said the three bus stations were more than 30 years old and so the council must construct a new modern bus stations to cater for the increased population in the city
“Yes, we have come up with a Task force to curb pirating, but this is a temporal solution. The lasting or permanent solution is to construct a modern bus station. The three bus stations are more than 30 years old for the last 30 years, the city has expanded and the population has grown,” she said
Ms Mwaya also advised the drivers to desist from indiscriminate throwing of litter, but ensure that they were also responsible in terms of solid waste management
“Indiscriminate throwing of litter does not only make the city look dirty, but is also unhealthy hence it is important that bus drivers and other stakeholders work towards making Kitwe, a clean and healthy city,” she said
