Metrobus – a let down?

The City of Joburg took things up a notch in October to host the annual Transport Month.

The year’s theme was Towards Eco-mobility which aimed to encourage walking, cycling and using public transport to navigate the city.

The City of Joburg’s Transport Safety and Promotion Sipho Nhlapo encouraged residents to use economical transport. “Just for this month, go and experience more of this public transport,” said Nhlapo during Transport Month.

Northcliff resident Karlien Jacobs decided to take up a challenge and travel by bus. However, to her dissatisfaction, she informed that the early morning bus was always crowded and breaking down. “I am really disappointed by Metrobuses,” she said.

“I have been taking the bus for a month and it is beyond a joke. The buses are never on time, they break down every day and they get over-loaded really badly,” informed Jacobs.

She said, “The bus driver really does think that it’s one huge joke to load the bus so full that we feel like a bunch of sardines squashed in a can.”

In response to Jacobs, Nhlapo said “The 2014 Transport Month was very successful as it presented the department with lessons that we will be taking forward to improve our services.

“We are very grateful that Karlien responded to a call to use public transport in October.” Her experiences with bus 420 from Westgate to Randburg has provided the department with the opportunity to know what challenges our patrons go through on a daily basis,” said Nhlapo. He also stated that Metrobus is currently in the process of purchasing 350 new buses which are energy friendly as they use biogas for fuel.

“This injection of new buses will assist in routes that are pressurised and certainly will improve the frequency of available buses resulting in less overloaded buses,”concluded Nhlapo.

For any complaint with the City of Joburg contact 011 375 5555.