The government of Malawi has turned down calls from the Parliamentary Committee on Transport to ban small passenger vehicle from operating on the country’s roads.
Parliamentary Committee on Transport asked Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services to ban small minibuses, saying they are not serving the intended purpose.
According to the committee, the minibuses were designed to be used for transporting goods not to transport passengers.
The committee also argued that the coming in of these small buses have increased the rate of accidents in Malawi due to overloading.
But the government has turned down the pre, saying banning the said minibus will affect many people in the country.
Government said plans are underway to discuss with Minibus Association of Malawi to be mindful with vehicle capacities arguing that a lot of people complain of extending numbers of passengers in a minibus.
Meanwhile owners of the said minibuses have applauded the government for the wise decision.