Mbeya RC is right: Striking to remove competition lacks merit

They demanded that the regional authorities remove motorcycles and tricycles from city centre operations so that buses make good profits, a demand that sounded strange to many ears around the country. Yet it appears there was ground for it in Mbeya as they are used to that kind of arrangement, since in earlier days motorcycles and tricycles were plying routes outside the centre.

Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila made no bones about his total rejection of the demands of commuter bus drivers, simply putting them on notice that they risked losing their licences if they continue with the strike. The drivers want the situation to go back to ‘normal,’ where they have a monopoly of transporting passengers within the city centre zone, and tricycles and their two-wheel cousins migrate outside the city. The trouble is that this view is out of time, as during the general election last year the CCM candidate promised informal sector traders to be free to work anywhere, without being molested.

This is thej position the RC explained when he said the decision not to bar tricycle ‘Bajaj’ vehicles from operating in the city centre was taken on the consideration that it has provided employment to a good number of youths. In that case the commuter bus drivers wanted a situation where groups of traders have a monopoly of hearing with municipal authorities in particular, often also having commuter buses among them,  to pass unfair regulations that commuter buses solely operate in central areas, pushing tricycles and motorcycles to the periphery. The drivers thus wanted to go back to ‘business as usual,’ shouting about it.

There was a situation in the city of Dar es Salaam where motorcycles were not allowed into the city centre for a few years. Still the reason wasn’t to reduce the competition with commuter buses but the security of those working in affluent and quiet sections of the city centre, for instance people coming out of bank branches or corporate staff leaving office at late afternoon or evening hours, or arriving early in the morning. Muggers would be lying in wait at some corner, pull the bag from them and fly out on a two wheel, and the victim would have no numbers of the motorcycle or idea of its occupants, left in disarray.

In legal language such a situation is known as force majeure, circumstances over which the police and the public authorities are powerless to control, in which case it is tackled by regulatory innovation, to exclude a whole category of operators from the city centre. Some were being allowed when they have special identification numbers, and any applicant for such identification would have to produce a referee who attests to the police and the city authorities that the motorcycle rider will pose no danger to the public if allowed to operate. Mid last year motorcyclists were again allowed to operate, but business is less brisk.

It follows that allowing motorcyclists to operate in any part of the city during the day and during the night is the normal situation. It can only be altered under exceptional circumstances; it isn’t the case in Mbeya.