Timboon Coaches sets industry standard with swi...

Timboon Coaches sets industry standard with swift action on rogue driver

**Screen grab of the video at the center of the saga showing the Timboon driver recklessly trying to drive past a police car whose occupants are clearly signaling that he must stop.**

ZimNow Analysis Desk

Timboon Coaches deserves praise after moving decisively against a rogue driver whose reckless behavior was captured in a video clip that went viral this week.

The company announced that it had terminated the driver’s contract with immediate effect after he was filmed fleeing traffic police while carrying passengers. Timboon said it would fully cooperate with law enforcement and support police in bringing the culprit to book.

“We emphasize that his behavior is unacceptable, poses a risk to public safety, and contradicts our values as a law-abiding institution,” the statement read.

Timboon’s move stands out in an industry where errant drivers are often shielded by employers. Complaints about reckless speeding, rude conductors, and unsafe practices have long dogged the long-distance bus sector, yet in many cases operators have looked the other way.

One disgruntled passenger recently posted online about another bus company, writing:

“I would like to name and shame InterAfrica bus ADZ 5002 … The conductor is very rude.”

Such complaints are commonplace, but disciplinary action from management is rare.

Grim Numbers

Zimbabwe’s roads remain among the most dangerous in the region, and buses are a frequent contributor to national tragedy:

The country records around 2,000 road deaths each year, with buses accounting for a significant share.

For example, earlier this year, 24 people died and 30 were injured in a bus–truck head-on collision near Beitbridge.

Studies show that 58% of bus accidents are due to driver fault, leading to three-quarters of all injuries and fatalities in such incidents.

In January 2024, another horror crash left 25 dead when a bus collided with a tractor-trailer, prompting the government to declare a national disaster.

These figures highlight why decisive interventions such as Timboon’s matter so much.

The long-distance bus sector has often been accused of placing profits before safety, with speed used as a “marketing tool” to lure passengers or to maximize daily earnings. This has fostered a dangerous culture of risk-taking behind the wheel.

The same goes for kombis. Perhaps if the government moves to make owners responsible for crimes committed by the people that they entrust their vehicles to, we could see sanity returning to our roads.

Zim Now View: Timboon Coaches has set the bar. If more operators take similar responsibility, Zimbabwe could begin to reverse the tide of road carnage that has become all too familiar.