Bajajs flocking towards downtown Adama

The three-wheeler motor vehicles, popularly known as Bajajs, do not flock in downtown Adama (Nazreth) like they used to. They have been banned from operating on the main streets of the town.
 

Authorities in the town’s administration say they initiated the move to mainly insure the safety of motorists along the highway from Addis Abeba to Djibouti. 

The Bajajs, nicknamed “Beloved” by townspeople, have for months been accused of contributing toward the town’s increasing accident rate.

Townspeople blame the drivers for noise pollution, increasing crime, traffic accidents, and poor customer handling.

While Adama is working to decrease the number of Bajajs, the three wheelers are beginning to appear in Addis Abeba. Currently, 37 Bajajs are licensed by the Addis Abeba Branch Office of the Federal Transport Authority to provide public transportation service, in the peripheral areas of the city and on the alleys, where public transportation is not accessible. As feeders, they are licensed to transport the public from these suburban villages to the nearest terminal.

“Under no circumstances are  the Bajajs allowed to run on the trans-lines of the city, they are restrictively licensed only to operate in villages of the expansion areas of the city; not on the main roads or the central parts,” Tiblets Asgedom, general manager of the Branch Office, told Fortune.     

The decision to ban the Bajajs in Adama came from the board in charge of the town’s security matters. Sissay Negash, mayor of the town, heads this board whose members include representatives from the Public Prosecutor, the Police, the Judiciary and the Intelligence Department.
 

For about three months now, the board has been meeting with Traffic Police officials and the Road and Transport Authority to discuss solutions to the problems Bajajs have been accused of causing, according to town officials.
 

“The decision by the security affair board is being implemented by the town’s Administration,” Abdu Mohammad, head of the Intelligence Department, told Fortune. “Previously, the board conducted research to study the effect of Bajajs on the town”,  Abdu explained to Fortune.

The Bajajs provide novice and unlicensed drivers’ training because they operate all night, when many criminal activities are taking place, the board sees a correlation between the Bajajs and the increasing crime rate.

The board reinforced night time security and relegated all Bajajs to artery roads and lanes used exclusively by Bajajs.
 

The 744 registered and 346 unregistered members of the Bajaj operators association, are outraged, they argue the ban is a miscalculated action. They say authorities are taking indiscriminate actions instead of focusing on the few drivers who are contributing to problems. 

Teshome Beyene, president of the association, who asserts that they received their license from the Oromia Trade and Industry Bureau, told Fortune that when the action took effect, the association had assigned 120 Bajaj taxis to the main roads.

“The taxi drivers we had deployed were told that the roads were closed to them and they were forced off the main roads. Had someone informed us, we would have removed the taxis and opened negotiations,” a bewildered Teshome, explained.  He said the association has not offered sufficient explanation for the action.
 

“The code one license plates indicate taxi services that operate within the town limits. I do not understand why the code issued is only applicable to Ladas [sedan taxis] or minibuses. If there is to be a ban on taxis then banning all taxis is one thing … but to pick the Bajaj taxis with excuses such as ‘they have no engine capacity’ or ‘they are unable to maintain their balance’ is just not fair,” Teshome fumed.
 

One Bajaj owner, Meaza Gebre, argues that it is the heavy duty trucks and lorries that congest traffic; not the compact three wheelers.

He continues to insist that the Bajaj taxis give speedy and quality service at affordable prices during a time when living expenses have hit the roof.
 

“To ban these vehicles from the main roads is unspeakable,” Meaza said. 

Other drivers reiterated that they have been unfairly accused of causing the town’s traffic and security woes;which they feel is the basis for the ban.
 

“If anything, it is the law enforcement agencies that have not been doing their duty. Had they apprehended these ruffians and unlicensed drivers, none of this would have happened!” declared outraged Bajaj owner Basazen Boset.

Many other agrees that identifying the limited delinquents, is the crux of the issue.

Meteku Negeri, a Bajaj taxi driver, commented that most traffic accidents caused by Bajaj vehicles involve unlicensed drivers.

“Just recently, I was an eye witness when a Bajaj rear ended a truck. Now, it was not the actual taxi driver who was behind the wheel but a boy who is a taxi washer. Apparently the boy had taken it for a joy ride,” Melaku told Fortune.

Amid disputes whether the measure on the “Beloved” is justifiable or not, the ban has started to affect those in the Bajaj business economically.
 

The Bajaj-taxi operators used to make enough to hand over 80 Br daily to the vehicle owners. If the motor is operated by its owner the income can go as high as 100 Br.  “Now that we have been barred from the main roads, our daily income has gone down to only 60 Br per day,”Amid said
 

It is not difficult to see that the prohibition of the Bajajs from the main highway has hurt their pockets. During the first tenures of the Bajaj taxis in Adama, the taxi drivers used to cash in a daily income of 100 Br. A percentage went to the owners but they had enough to survive. As the fleet size of the Bajajs has increased, their daily revenue has decreased to 80 Br; and the action by the town’s administration has shrunk it to 60 Br per day. This has to be shared with the owner so their net income is small. 

All through the night, the three wheelers can be seen operating on and off the main road. The amount allotted to the owners, for the nightshift only, stands at 60 Br; the rest is profit for the drivers.
 

Teshome, the president of the Association, maintains that the unit selling price for the Bajaj vehicles has escalated to 60,000 Br and the demand for them has risen.
 

“So why are we banned?” is the members’ burning question voiced through their chief. “The response we received from the authorities was a disappointing ‘We don’t know!’” Teshome stated. 
 

In the town of Adama, all the 35 artery roads intersect with the main highway, at one point or another. The gas stations are located on the main highway meaning that the Bajajs would have to cross over the main roads to refuel. All banks, major businesses, brokers and other companies are situated along the main roads.
 

“If these vehicles are not allowed on main roads, it will mean that passengers might have to pay three fares just to get to somewhere that they could have reached with one trip!” Teshome explained to Fortune.
 

But some residents of the town consider the action appropriate. 
 

One of residents who appreciates the move is Ayele Asfaw, a businessman. “When lorries arrive from Djibouti to this town the drivers are fatigued and their trucks laden with all kinds of goods. Upon arrival, they are beset by accidents with these Bajajs and the lorries involved in such accidents are stranded on the highway for days,” he told Fortune.
 

Authorities have to go through the process of finding out who was at fault and in the interim both parties are held at bay. The lorry with all its goods is detained for days with its cargo, compounding the setback.
 

“So, I am all for banning the Bajajs from the main road,” he has shown solidarity with authorities of the town administration.
 

Further keen observers, who have not ruled out Bajajs’ contribution to easing the public transportation problems in the town, feel that the small size and dexterity of these vehicles enables them to weave in and out of traffic, causing unsafe pedestrian conditions and traffic flow on the roads. 
 

For instance, Getnet Taddese, a barber, suggests that Lada and minibus taxis can and should replace the Bajajs.
 

“Most of the Bajaj taxi drivers do not even have a drivers license, the loss of life and property is unavoidable. taken from this point of view, it is a relief to have the Bajajs out of the main roads … particularly so for the lorry drivers,” Kifle Meles, an exasperated citizen said.

Teshome does not deny that some these vehicles are involved in illicit activities. To his knowledge, more than 600 three wheelers come from other localities to operate illegally within territories of Nazreth. But he also argues that he would not allow his own Bajaj to operate on the main road.
 

“Danger exists,  our biggest problem is that we have not been able to work in concert. If the association along with the Road and Transport Authority and the Traffic Office could collaborate, then we would have apprehended the criminals,” Teshome said.
 

In Addis Abeba, despite Tiblets’ assertion that the city’s Traffic Police Department has been told to make sure that Bajas do not cross into the trans-lines, there were incidents where some vehicles were driving in highly congested central parts of the city in broad day light. But Tiblets argues that the only time they are allowed to flock in the central parts to go to garages is after 7:00pm in the evening. The Bajajs are allowed to drive on the main roads early in the morning before normal traffic starts to flow.
 

Until December of 2008, there have been 91 traffic accidents in the town of Adama. Out of these, 75pc have been directly or indirectly caused by Bajajs, according to Ismael Abadir (Sergeant), assistant coordinator of Wereda Two of Adama. “Methodological investigations indicate that the fault and liability of these accidents are 100pc with the Bajajs,” he said.
 

According to a report by the Adama Town Roads and Transport Department, the office has issued Annual Vehicles Inspection tags to no more than 1,050 Bajajs. Yet, Abdu, head of the Intelligence Department affirms that the biggest problem of the 3,745 Bajajs in the town is that most are extraneous, and without the proper paperwork.
 

“They come from other places. We discovered Bajajs loaded on board lorries and transported from neighbouring areas and even from as far as the town of Desse, 499kms north of Nazreth, in another regional state,” according to Abdu. “We are currently in the middle of sorting them out according to town and zone permits.”
 

Nevertheless, considering the demand and the growing dependence on the services they offer, the authorities are willing to accommodate the needs with a minimum disruption to the flow of traffic, he demurred. 
 

According to the findings of the intelligence officials, following the ban, traffic related accidents and other similar incidents have shrunk dramatically. “Now, the only traffic accidents we see are around the Sodere highway. In order to minimize traffic catastrophes, we give seminars on traffic laws for chauffeurs and owners alike. In addition, we have not given up training sessions for those pertinent individuals.” declared the Assistant Coordinator.
 

Hassen Kassim is the examination facilitator and coordinator for the Eastern Shewa Zone’s Road and Transport Department. In his opinion, the key to minimizing traffic disasters is giving examinations to all Oromia licensed chauffeurs. He insists that the Oromia license should be issued only after the individual passes the carefully prepared exams. Unlicensed taxi drivers, he feels, should be prohibited in the Oromia Region.
 

However, for officials like Abdu, the board’s decision is supported for multiple reasons.

“The main point is that this highway is not just another road but our lifeline. This highway is the longest transport freeway and needs to be valued not only for the town’s but for the entire nation’s and the central government’s sake, as well. We have come to this decision, bearing in mind that lorries make their way from Djibouti to Addis Abeba. Therefore, it is our conviction that our decree is the appropriate one,” Abdu concluded. 

DANIEL KIFLE
FORTUNE STAFF WRITER