Abstract
While competitive tendering in urban public transport has been widely applied in the developed
world, in many developing countries particularly Africa, this has not been the case. In
Zimbabwe, competitive tendering was identified in 2012 as a tool to address the urban
transport challenges emanating from a deregulated urban public transport market. To date,
the tendering option has not been implemented. This paper examines the institutional
preparedness to bus route tendering in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. A mixed-methods
research paradigm was used to obtain data and information from three relevant transport
stakeholder clusters comprising public, private and academia sectors. The findings of the
study have shown that the key stakeholders have a clear understanding of what competitive
tendering entails, but implementation is hindered inter alia by lack of infrastructure and support
systems, lack of commitment to policy implementation and a reluctance to interfere with the
status quo, which generates revenue for the economy through both legal and illegal means.
The study is of value to other developing countries, particularly Africa, which may draw lessons
from the Zimbabwe experiences. The study recommended the need for a detailed diagnostic
study to analyse the deep rooted political and economic factors or pressures that impede a
movement from the status quo.