Times Of Swaziland: MBABANE BUS RANK CONGESTION RELIEF MBABANE BUS RANK CONGESTION RELIEF ================================================================================ BY THEMBINKOSI MAVIMBELA on 11/07/2018 04:39:00 MBABANE – Traffic congestion might be a thing of the past at the Mbabane Bus Rank. This comes after the Swaziland Local Kombi Transport Association came up with a strategy to ease the congestion, which sometimes makes it hard for public transport vehicles to enter the bus rank. This also causes a headache for other users of the road along the bus rank. The new arrangement entails that some public transport vehicles be parked along Dr Walker Street (near the SASCCO building), while about five per route remain in the bus rank to service the public. Clarifying the new arrangement which was implemented on Monday was Swaziland Local Kombi Transport Association Rank Manager Themba Dlamini and Mbabane Kombi Association Officer Sikhombisa Dlamini, during an interview at the bus rank yesterday. Themba stated that they took the decision to reduce the number of vehicles in the bus rank because it was too congested. He said depending on the availability of space, two kombis would park in the platforms while three would wait in line within the parking space in the bus rank. He said the arrangement included all public vehicles servicing people at the bus rank. Themba explained that bus rank marshals would play a vital role in the new arrangement. He stated that the marshals had the duty to call public transport vehicle drivers through their mobile phones and alert them when there was space for them to go to the bus rank. He explained that kombi drivers paid a certain fee to the marshals, which the latter would use to load airtime to call them (drivers). Themba stated that the arrangement with the municipal council was that public transport vehicles would not be required to pay anything for parking along the said street. He said at the moment, the space they had was sufficient for public transport vehicles to park as others parked at their destinations. He mentioned that they would do with more parking space or even a permanent solution, which would be more bus ranks.