RTSA suspends licence for City Bus Express Services

The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has with immediate effect suspended the Road Service Licence for City Bus Express Services Limited operating as LSK 484.

 Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka today, RTSA Director, Zindaba Soko, said the Road Service Licence number 0073854 has been withdrawn because the company breached the conditions under which the licence was granted.

 Mr Soko explained that RTSA received a complaint from a passenger earlier this year concerning the bad state of a bus belonging to City Express Services Ltd which operates between Lusaka and Solwezi.

 He further explained that after inspecting four buses belonging to the company, RTSA found that the buses were in no condition to ferry passengers.

 Mr Soko said the RTSA then wrote to City Express Services to avail the whole fleet for re-examination within a stipulated period, but the company only availed two of their buses contrary to the requirements stipulated in the letter.

 He said the failure by City Express Services to avail the buses for examination violated the conditions under which the Road Service Licence is granted, which requires that the vehicle be roadworthy, with a valid certificate of fitness.

 Mr Soko called on members of the public to ensure that public service vehicles are road worthy at all times, and make use of the RTSA toll free line 983 to report vehicles not in suitable condition.

 And the RTSA will soon publish in the media names of drivers who have been arrested for dangerous and drunk driving in the past few months.

 Mr Soko said the offenders will then have to give convincing reasons why their drivers’ licences should not be revoked, adding that if this is not done within the 14-day-period, the offenders will have their licences revoked.

 He said the RTSA has also forwarded several names of drivers who were found with falsified RTSA documents to the courts of law.

 Mr Soko said the RTSA will not take kindly to anyone putting the lives of road users at risk, adding that they will have to face the law.