Phala Community needs more Megabus buses amid taxi association revolt

The meeting was instigated by taxi drivers having gone on a strike, demanding that Megabus should reduce its ten buses currently operating in Namakgale and Lulekani and also increase its fees from R7 to R10.

Most residents were unable to report for duty, as the striking taxi drivers prevented Megabus coaches from ferrying commuters to town, while Great North Transport buses were operating.

“I am working in town as a domestic employee and have been commuting via Megabus for over 15 years and their service has been excellent. I don’t use a taxi because my financial status only allows me to use Megabus because it is cheaper. On top of that, taxis drivers are reckless, disrespectful and always speeding,” said a mother of six children during the meeting.

Another elderly woman said enough is enough, with the taxi association and GNT always undermining residents.

“We know very well that GNT, behind closed doors, is working alongside the taxi association to have Megabus removed from our roads, but as residents we won’t allow this barbaric move to occur.

We are unequivocally saying if Megabus goes, the taxi association and GNT must also take their businesses elsewhere, because we are going to boycott them,” said a fuming domestic worker.

Residents also instructed Sanco Regional Secretary Richard Nkuna and Namakgale Sanco, branch Chairperson, to get details on the taxi drivers who allegedly assaulted and stabbed a Megabus driver with a screwdriver inside the Phalaborwa Police Station on Tuesday, in full view of police officers, having chased him from Lulekani crossing while he was ferrying commuters to town. Other residents from Matikoxikaya said it is their constitutional right to choose which type of public transport they wanted to use.

“At the Namakgale crossing there are different shops selling the same product, but it is an individual’s right to choose which shop he or she will enter and buy the product from. We can’t allow this anarchy to persist in our presence,” he explained.

They also instructed their leadership to tell taxi bosses to instruct their drivers to refrain from assaulting and preventing community members from hiking at Namakgale entrance.

Residents also resolved that it will be business as usual from Monday, pending the outcome of the follow up stakeholders meeting on 29 September, after two meetings last week failed to resolve the matter.”If they don’t stop their nonsense of interfering with our Megabus, we will boycott their taxis and GNT.

You must tell them that Ba-Phalaborwa residents do not want to use your taxis and no amount of intimidation will stop us from utilizing Megabus,”concluded an elderly woman warning Sanco leaders not to take bribes from taxi bosses. Phalaborwa Taxi Association executive committee member, Masedi Masedi, on Monday said they don’t have a problem with Megabus as a company, but they need Megabus and other potential service providers to follow the transport forum due procedures.

“We agreed in the forum that Megabus will have two buses operating in Lulekani and Namakgale, but somehow that number has since been increased to five per area which is totally against our agreement,” he said.

Masedi added that much as Megabus seems to be giving back to the community with it’s R7 ticket fare, it isn’t as it did so only because it was making a lot of money from it’s expired contract at PMC.

“What Megabus is currently doing is no longer being competitive and reasonable, but a way of closing other businesses. If we had to say Megabus should go and use the gravel roads I don’t think they would do so as their financial muscles in the area is no longer as viable as it used to be.”

Efforts to get hold of Megabus and GNT at the time of going to print were fruitless.