Government implements structural measures to improve Mozambique public transport

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Government implements structural measures to improve Mozambique public transport

10:56 CAT | 08 Aug 2017

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The Mozambican government is implementing structural measures to improve public passenger, notably with the arrival in October of the first batch of 100 60-seat buses out of a planned total of 300 vehicles.

Minister of Transport and Communications Carlos Mesquita revealed that the sector restructuring package included other measures such as the assignment of routes to private operators, improvement of maintenance and management restructuring to guarantee the sustainability of investment.

“In work carried out with various players in the transport system, we concluded that the transport subsidy mechanism needed to be changed to a system whereby the government buys buses and allocates them to the private sector and municipal public transport companies,” he said.

Under the new model, three contracts were awarded for the acquisition of 300 buses, of which 100 will arrive in the country at the end of September and the beginning of October.

Regarding maintenance, Minister Mesquita said the government had already identified a repair workshop in Tshumene in Matola municipality, and specifications for the concession of the project were in preparation.

Although the government is intent on solving the problem of public transport country-wide, Mesquita said that greater Maputo, due to its specificities, population density and size, required special attention from the organisational point of view .

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is considering the creation of a metropolitan agency to coordinate and manage the operations of both municipal and private companies: “This is not a body that will add more costs, but a small structure to coordinate operations, maximising the use of transportation resources,” he said.

Fares

Mesquita nonetheless acknowledged that a tariff review was essential. “The fares that are being charged, whether for semi-collective passenger transport or by municipal companies, are far from sufficient to guarantee maintenance and investment,” he said.

In a discussion involving the ministry and sector operators, it was concluded that tariffs should be revised, but carefully, taking into account the government’s social assistance commitments.

These ongoing structural changes are already generating interest from private sector investors. “The route concession program, which will help in route management, accountability and monitoring, has been another great attraction. We believe that these aspects, combined, will produce good results,” Mesquita concluded.

Source: A Verdade