Malawi Road Traffic Directorate standardize minibus colour coding
The Road Traffic Directorate says it’s currently drafting minibus colour-coding regulations to legally bind the initiative before rolling it out.
The Directorate’s announcement follows a submission of a colour-coding project proposal by Minibus Owners Association (MOAM) which, in July this year, initiated plans to implement colour-coding on all minibuses in the country.
Director for Road Traffic Directorate, Jack Manong’a while hailing MOAM for initiating the concept, told the local media that the coding will be based on regions and districts.
“We are working on regulations after receiving a proposal from MOAM so that the project should be legally endorsed. Once in place, the coding will bring sanity in the operations of minibuses in the country and also protect the interest of passengers,” Manong’a said.
Manong’a said meanwhile it’s not known how much it will cost to implement the project said more details will be known once the regulations are put in place.
MOAM disclosed that it will initiate colour-coding based on routes thereby ensuring sanity in the public-commuter transportation sector.
MOAM General Secretary, Coxley Kamange said once the project is implemented, minibus conductors and drivers will be more responsible on the welfare of passengers thereby reducing the incidents of theft and route diversions.
Kamange added that the colour-coding will assist in route identification as well as help the association in handling customer complaints and the sanity of operating minibus effectively.
The project is expected to phase out minibus touting, which has for long been blamed for escalating theft around minibus terminals.
