Minibus operators kicked out of Mzuzu Bus Depot

Minibus operators have been flushed out of Mzuzu Bus Depot to decongest the depot, Business News has established.

The minibuses will now operate from undeveloped park on the edge of Mzuzu Main Market. The park is also close to M1 Road and across the road is also a busy taxi park.

There are fears that the current park will lead to congestion on the M1 Road and make the area prone to accidents.

The area being undeveloped, mud and dust will be the order of the day during wet and dry seasons.

Traders in the market will be the most affected and the congestion is also affecting customers as market entrances are being blocked.

However, minibus operators have welcomed the relocation, saying they were consulted before being removed from the depot.

One of the operators, Daniel Mafuleka, in an interview on Monday said the consultations helped people understand the need to be relocated and operators are getting used to the new place despite that passengers find it difficult to locate the minibuses.

“When people come in the bus depot, it is difficult for them to trace the minibuses. However, people are getting to know our current location and business is normalising,” he said.

But Mafuleka said scramble for space with vendors plying at the parking area is a challenge.

The vendors have found a potential market with the coming of minibuses.

Mafuleka also feared that the area will be prone to accidents, considering that it is close to M1 Road and across the road is a busy base for taxis and minibuses that operate within Mzuzu.

“We have not had cases of theft, but our fear is that there is no shelter here, so, customers will be heavily affected on a rainy or sunny day, which is not the case in the depot,” he said.

Mzuzu City Council acting chief executive officer Victor Masina said the relocation was a temporal measure to bring sanity in the depot.

Currently, the minibus operators use any point to get on the M1 road.