Exploring Operational Viability of Botswana Transport Sector During Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Shakerod Munuhwa*, Tendai Silvaziso Mandere & David Chikwere Botswana
Abstract: The novel coronavirus has had a profound, dramatic impact on almost every nation in the world. The road transport sector in Botswana (both passenger and freight) has not been spared but hit particularly hard by the crisis through operational non-viability. The study sought to unpack operational and business challenges in the Botswana passenger and freight transport sector during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) era. The study employed an exploratory design to sample 30 transport operators in Greater Gaborone and gathered quantitative data through administration of questionnaires. The research study covers the period between April and June 2020. The study revealed that major operational challenges include lack of emergency preparedness, lack of financial backup, sharp business drop as passengers and goods are not moving, COVID-19 compliance requirements and longer turnaround times (resulting in perishable goods getting bad in transit). The study also came up with recommendations to improve transport sector viability during COVID-19 time and these include ensuring that transport organisations both passenger and freight quickly migrate to the COVID-19 new norm and get things running, avoid the use of human labour in physical loading and unloading of cargo to reduce possibilities of transmitting Coronavirus as a result of human contact, training of drivers to practise the necessary precautions to reduce the spread of the virus during transportation of goods and passengers. Companies are encouraged to temporarily increase their driver compliment to improve on operational turn-around times as some of the drivers may be placed under mandatory COVID-19 quarantine. Organisations which are able to divert their operations to the transportation of COVID-19 essential products and essential people encouraged to do so for them to remain viable throughout the pandemic time.