The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended the operating licence of Super Metro Limited due to multiple violations of public service vehicle regulations.
The suspension will remain in place until the company meets all the required safety and operational standards. This decision was made after NTSA conducted an audit that revealed serious breaches in compliance, putting passengers and other road users at risk.
One of the major issues found was the failure to ensure all vehicles had valid documentation. Out of the 523 vehicles under Super Metro, 15 had expired inspection certificates, while 8 were operating without valid Road Service Licences (RSL).
This means that some vehicles were on the road without being confirmed as roadworthy, exposing passengers to potential accidents or mechanical failures.
NTSA also discovered that many vehicles were violating speed regulations. Five vehicles had expired speed limiter certificates, while 88 were not transmitting speed data as required. A further 171 lacked proper speed limiter records, and 7 had no speed limiter details at all.
Even more alarming, 109 vehicles were found exceeding the legal speed limit of 80Kph, putting lives in danger.
Another serious issue was the employment of unqualified drivers. NTSA found that some of the drivers assigned to operate Super Metro vehicles did not meet the necessary qualifications.
Among the 109 flagged for speeding, 64 failed a retest conducted at the Likoni Driver Test Centre on March 10, 2025. As a result, their licences were suspended.
This raised major safety concerns, as allowing unqualified drivers to operate public service vehicles increases the chances of accidents.Labour law violations were also identified.
NTSA found that Super Metro failed to comply with laws requiring statutory deductions such as PAYE, NSSF, and NHIF. The company also did not ensure proper workplace safety measures and lacked legally binding contracts for its employees.
This means that some employees were working without job security or access to essential benefits, which is a direct violation of labour regulations.
To have its operating licence reinstated, Super Metro must meet several conditions. The company has been directed to present 294 vehicles for compliance inspections, retest 42 drivers who were flagged for violations, and immediately remove any unqualified drivers from service.
Additionally, the company must provide signed employment contracts for all staff, prove compliance with statutory deductions, and conduct a Road Safety Sensitisation Programme.
Until all these conditions are met, NTSA has warned the public against using Super Metro vehicles.
The Traffic Department has been instructed to impound any Super Metro vehicles found operating in violation of the suspension.
This action by NTSA highlights the importance of strict adherence to safety and operational regulations in the transport sector to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users.
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