Nine passengers were injured in a road traffic accident, Tuesday, after a private motor vehicle rammed into a ZUPCO commuter omnibus in the Central Business District (CBD).
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the accident.
Inspector Ncube said the driver of the private motor vehicle did not observe a stop sign at the intersection of Leopold Takawira and Fort Street resulting in the collision.
“The accident occurred around 06:45 AM. A female driver aged 45 who is a holder of a valid driver’s license was coming from Zvishavane along Leopold Takawira due west and she rammed into a Toyota Hiace which was travelling due South,” said Insp Ncube.
“The female driver failed to observe the stop sign at the intersection. Nine passengers were injured as a result of the accident. They were ferried to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical examination. The lady is currently being charged with negligent driving.”
On Wednesday morning, another ZUPCO bus rammed into a tree along 8th Avenue after it developed a brake failure.
The Nkosana bus, contracted under ZUPCO, had just dropped off passengers along the road when the mishap occurred.
“There were no passengers on board when the accident occurred. The driver had just dropped off the passengers. He tried to apply brakes but they failed. The bus reversed and rammed into a tree that was closeby. It suffered minor damage,” Insp Ncube confirmed.
The Zupco vehicles have been the sole source of public transportation since the implementation of the national lockdown period.
The buses have been carrying a maximum of thirty-five passengers in a bid to observe social distancing but the government on Monday ordered that they increase their carrying capacity so as to meet the transport demand by members of the public.
