The Sunday News
Loveness Mpofu, Sunday Life Reporter
DRIVEN by its vision to be a top class passenger transport provider, P&H Investments (Pvt) is exploring different avenues to provide best clientele service to its customers.
Its buses are popularly known as Green Horse and the company has been striving to pay particular attention to safety, reliability, integrity, accountability and cautious movement on the road.
The owners Mr Patrick and Mrs Hellen Dube, have dedicated their undivided attention and hard work to the growth of the company. Established in 2009, Green Horse buses have grown to be a reliable transporter for many.
This is because particular attention is given to Green Horse buses to ensure that they are properly maintained and serviced in order to guarantee utmost protection to its passengers. P&H Investments accomplishes this by assembling its buses in its own workshop. The work is done by skilled and experienced mechanical engineers.
Amazingly, the company supports local businesses by purchasing of parts locally. In line with easing pressure incurred by its customers due to cash shortages, Green Horse buses accept EcoCash transactions.
With a staff complement of eleven professional drivers who are carefully selected and monitored on the basis of honesty, hard work and exercising extreme caution on the road, the company has managed to keep road accidents at almost zero.
Mindful of the fact that the lives of passengers lie with the drivers’ health and mental aptitude, medical testing is done every year. They are also retested every five years by the Zimbabwe Traffic Safety Council.
H&P operations manager Mr Enos Mhlanga said they offer reliable transport service so that customers were not inconvenienced.
“We are always available to provide service, for instance sometimes we come across breakdowns and we quickly provide an alternative to make sure that people reach their destinations on time and are not made to stay in the bush and spend more than what they would have budgeted for. We also keep the lost and found parcels in our workshop, where passengers can always come and find them. People go where there is good service and that’s why we prioritise customer care. This is one of the reasons why our buses are becoming popular and preferred by many people,” he said.
The company has nine buses which comprise 68 to 75-seater buses. They ply short and long routes such as Kariangwe-Binga, Gwanda and Beitbridge.
The company does not only take care of its customers, but also prioritises the well being of its workers. The workers get free meals during lunch.
Moreover, H&P Investments is not only a fulltime passenger transport, but it also goes an extra mile to give back to the community through social responsibility. Green Horse buses offer hire services to everyone ranging from churches, funerals, weddings, school events and goods delivery.
When it comes to bus fares, Green Horse buses stick to the fixed Government fares. They even offer free door to door delivery for passengers who travel at night.
Just like any transport provider, P&H Investments also faces challenges in its operation. Mr Mhlanga mentioned the poor road networks especially in rural areas as one of the major problems they encounter.
“The most challenge we encounter is the poor road system especially in rural areas. The dust roads are full of potholes and at the end of the day tyres burst, which increases our expenses. We plead with the rural councils together with the help of Zinara to maintain our roads. They should come up with permanent solutions such as putting tar when fixing the roads instead of just covering with sand,” he said.
Mr Mhlanga added that they also face difficulties manoeuvring at the Renkini terminus because of potholes. He said even the commuter omnibuses are not properly controlled as they encroach into their lanes. Above all, just like any transport provider, the company also faces challenges generally caused by the harsh economic situation bedevilling the country and negatively impacting on business, as nowadays people travel when it’s necessary mostly because of cash flow challenges. -@lvydvy1
