(1) Upon application in the prescribed manner and on payment of the prescribed fee, the Minister shall issue a public omnibus route permit to a registered owner of an omnibus who is recommended by the Board for such public omnibus route permit.
(2) The public omnibus route permit authorises the operator of the public omnibus identified in it to provide transport to the public for the prescribed omnibus fare determined under this section.
(3) The Minister shall on the recommendation of the Board, include in the public omnibus route permit any conditions considered necessary, including restrictions on —
(a) the places in which the public omnibus may be parked for soliciting fares;
(b) the route which the public omnibus may ply; and
(c) the places in which the public omnibus may pick up or set down passengers.
(4) A public omnibus route permit is, unless cancelled, valid for 2 years and is renewable on payment of the prescribed fee, on a date coinciding with the date on which it was first issued and the provisions of this section apply, with the necessary modifications, in respect of an application for renewal.
(5) Subject to subsection (6), Cabinet shall appoint a committee to determine public omnibus fares.
(6) A committee appointed under this section shall —
(a) comprise such number of persons as Cabinet shall determine, having experience and qualifications in any one or more of the following —
(i) transportation,
(ii) finance and accounting,
(iii) consumer affairs, and
(iv) law;
(b) subject to this section regulate its own procedure.
(7) Where the Minister or the operators of public omnibuses wish to seek a new or modified public omnibus fare or an increase in a public omnibus fare, the Minister or the operators of public omnibuses shall submit a proposal regarding the same to the committee appointed under this section.
(8) Within 14 days of receipt of a proposal under subsection (7), the committee shall publish the proposal in the Gazette and issue a notice inviting comments in writing from the public within a time period specified in the notice and specifying a date on which it will hold a public hearing with regards to the same.
(9) After the expiry of the period specified in the notice for receipt of comments and after a public hearing under subsection (8), the committee shall consider the proposal and shall, subject to subsection (10), make recommendations to Cabinet.
(10) In making the recommendations under subsection (9), the committee shall consider the cost to operators of public omnibuses of maintaining the public omnibus service, the cost of living in respect of commuters, the nature of the public omnibus route and service and any other circumstances as the committee may consider necessary.
(11) Cabinet shall consider the recommendations made by the committee under subsection (9) and shall determine the new, modified or increased public omnibus fare to be imposed, if any, and instruct the Minister accordingly.
(Amended by Act 10 of 2006)