Transport in Zambia

Road transport carries most passengers and goods in Zambia. Urban travel relies mainly on private minibuses, taxis and buses, while larger buses connect towns and cities. Service ownership is fragmented, and many services do not follow a nationally unified timetable or fare system. Fares, departure times, stops and accessibility therefore need local confirmation before travel. Passengers commonly pay in cash. Formal passenger services use a Road Service Licence and a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence under the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA). App-based ride services provide an additional urban option. Statutory Instrument 19 of 2024 requires the app to show the estimated and final electronic fare and distance, vehicle registration, driver name, National Registration Card (NRC) details and telephone number, and passenger registration. A company seeking this service needs a certified PSV Road Service Licence, Zambia Police clearance, owner and driver addresses and contact details, NRC information and vehicle registration. Availability and prices depend on the private provider and local demand. Rail has established services but limited national coverage. Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) operates passenger and freight services on a network of about 1,200 kilometres, including the Mulobezi–Chililabombwe and Chipata–Mchinji lines. Passenger services include Livingstone–Kitwe Ordinary and Livingstone–Mulobezi Mixed trains, with Economy, Standard, Business and Sleeper classes. The supplied timetable records two mainline passenger services and two mixed services each week, including a Monday departure from Livingstone and a Friday departure from Kitwe. ZRL fares follow its tariff chart; the last supplied fare increase was verified on 12 February 2024, so the amount should be checked locally before departure. TAZARA provides a cross-border rail connection between New Kapiri Mposhi and Dar es Salaam. Passenger service resumed on 10 February 2026. The Mukuba service runs twice weekly, with a New Kapiri Mposhi departure on Tuesday at 14:00 Central Africa Time and a Dar es Salaam departure on Friday at 15:50 East Africa Time. Express and ordinary services cover different sections, including New Kapiri Mposhi–Kasama, Nakonde–Msolwa, Kasama–Nakonde and Dar es Salaam–Msolwa. Access depends on a ticket and station availability, and the service is a practical road alternative only along the relevant corridor. Private vehicle access requires registration, insurance, Road Tax and a roadworthy vehicle. RTSA services available through its online systems and Zamportal include driver-licence renewal or duplication, roadworthiness checks, Road Tax, registration, physical examination and test booking. First registration generally involves Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) customs clearance, an e-Redbook, a ZRA receipt, a CE20 or Release Order, an RTSA inspection fee of K64, NRC or passport identification, insurance and a stated fee of K238. A change of ownership generally requires a sale letter, ZRA tax clearance, identification from both parties, the original registration document, a K64 inspection, police clearance or an affidavit and a fee of K476. A provisional driver licence is available from age 18 at a stated fee of K117. The practical test fee is K87 after seven days, printing is K144 and renewal is K312. Foreign licence conversion is listed at K348. A provisional rider licence is available from age 16. A PSV passenger endorsement requires age 25 or above and two years of practical experience. Goods and dangerous-goods endorsements have separate requirements and are listed from age 18. Private vehicle examination is listed at K64, while a PSV Certificate of Fitness is listed at K55. RTSA service timing can vary, and a Road Service Licence decision is made under the applicable Act within 40 days after the objection period. The classified road network covers about 67,671 kilometres, including a Core Road Network of about 40,454 kilometres. In 2024, about 24.47 kilometres were recorded as surfaced in the supplied research, alongside rehabilitation, public-private partnership, bridge and feeder-road work. Road travel remains the main practical choice for intercity and regional movement, but surface quality, weather, congestion, long distances and safety conditions vary. Intercity buses and private cars are the main long-distance options. Border travel by road or rail involves separate border requirements that are outside this transport overview. Walking is a basic form of access in both towns and rural areas, and cycling is largely informal. Many roads lack safe or adequate footways and cycle facilities. Zambia's National Non-Motorised Transport Strategy, developed in 2019, aims to give walking, cycling and public transport greater priority. The Road Development Agency (RDA) urban-road manual calls for multimodal planning that includes pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Policy targets include five kilometres of footpaths and two kilometres of cycle tracks per 100,000 people over five years, increasing to ten and five kilometres respectively over ten years. These targets do not prove that a continuous facility exists in a particular town. The Highway Code instructs pedestrians to use a footpath where one exists and otherwise walk on the right side facing oncoming traffic. Zambia drives on the left. The Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 and the Highway Code govern road use. Pedestrians must follow traffic signals and police directions and use crossings in accordance with the rules. Cyclists should leave adequate space when being passed. Seat belts and child car seats are covered by Statutory Instrument 79 of 2016, while speed limits are covered by Statutory Instrument 90 of 2006. Passenger vehicles are subject to GPS requirements under Statutory Instrument 78 of 2016 and night-driving restrictions under Statutory Instruments 76 of 2016 and 78 of 2017. A PSV driver may drive for up to eight continuous hours, with at least a five-minute break after each two hours, and must keep a logbook. A roadworthy certificate is required for the relevant vehicle. RTSA enforcement and education records show the scale of road risk. In 2023, Zambia recorded 36,755 crashes, 2,011 fatalities and 5,943 severe injuries, equivalent to ten fatalities per 100,000 people in that statistic. These are 2023 figures, not a current live rate. The Ministry of Transport and Logistics (MoTL) coordinates transport policy and regulation, while RTSA handles licensing, testing, safety and enforcement. The RDA manages the classified road network, construction, maintenance and maximum vehicle weights. Local authorities manage local roads and perform some decentralised pontoon functions. Domestic air travel is an established but generally more expensive and demand-limited option. Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) operates seven provincial and three strategic aerodromes. The strategic airports are Kenneth Kaunda, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula and Mfuwe. The supplied ZACL strategy does not establish public-service-obligation routes, so air links should not be assumed to provide universal coverage. Water transport remains mainly local and fragmented. MoTL's Pontoons and Mechanical Services and its Maritime and Inland Waterways function support the sector, while the Inland Waters Shipping Act covers vessel surveys, registration, passenger and cargo safety and crew competence. Pontoons and waterbuses operate in some lake and river areas, but no nationwide passenger timetable or fare structure is verified. Transport also has environmental effects. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) oversees environmental impact assessment and pollution management. Road projects exceeding ten kilometres require a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment under the EIA Regulations. Vehicle emissions include nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds; road construction can add dust, noise, erosion and habitat impacts. ZEMA's environmental outlook identifies the road subsector as the main source of transport-related carbon dioxide, with vehicle and fuel use increasing. Zambia's Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0 supports electric-vehicle adoption, stronger public transport, non-motorised transport, efficiency standards for remaining combustion vehicles and a shift between transport modes. The 2026 review of the National Transport Policy proposes integrating electric-vehicle technology, but no nationwide electric-vehicle quota or requirement has been verified.