Transport and Communications Minister Brian Mushimba has clarified that only transporters of goods and commodities will be allowed to operate 24 hours under the revised night travel regulation, while passenger service vehicles remain banned.

In a recording he sent out last night, Mushimba said he would on Monday sign a revised SI 76 of 2017 which will allow only trucks and goods vehicles to operate 24/7.

Mushimba said this is in a bid to support mining activities as well as uplift the country’s economy.

“Revision to the SI 76 of 2016 is something that I have spoken about a long time ago. We are doing some work on trying to finish that revision and the revision was made clear from the onset that we are going to separate trucking from public passenger transport. The trucks will be allowed 24/7 a week to travel on the road by meeting certain conditions while passenger transportation, public transportation will stay restricted from 21 hours to 05 hours. This is what honorable Mutati spoke about and this is what I will be speaking about on Monday when I sign the actual revised SI and we are revising because we concluded a consultative process that was commissioned when the SI was signed,” said Mushimba.

“And also some other measures that we have put in place that have given us confidence that we can revise the SI this was so that the economy can be helped especially trucks going on the Copperbelt to support the mining activities, trucks coming from DRC bringing concentrates to our smelters in the mining area. Those can travel throughout the night, trucks carrying fertilizer, sugar, cement, those can travel throughout the day to support the economy. But the interaction of those trucks with passenger transport is what we felt should not be allowed and that is why the restriction on passenger public transport is still staying in effect until further initiatives kick-in to support the uplifting of that restriction. This is what I will be speaking to with the media on Monday as I sign the revised SI.”