A Re Yeng helps Moot elderly

The Tshwane roads and transport department and A Re Yeng bus services visited the Moot to hand out connector cards to elderly residents.

They visited Capital Park community centre and Phyllis Robertson Home on Friday morning, to create more awareness about the A Re Yeng bus service and give the elderly the cards, said chairperson of roads and transport for Tshwane councillor Elmarie Linde.

The cards were given to elderly free of charge.

Linde said the visit was thanks to an initiative by Lizette Stoltz, who approached the department of transport in her private capacity.

Stoltz is also the chairperson of Moot DA women’s network.

“After Stoltz approached us, we decided to give these connector cards to the elderly for free,” she said.

Capital Park ward councillor Elma Nel said she was “very thankful” for these initiatives in her ward.

“The elderly play a very important role in our society and it is important that they be made aware of benefits for them,” she said.

A Re Yeng marketing and communication director Ruth Mutasa said the bus service was launched in December 2014.

“We were the third city to introduce the bus rapid transport system and since then, many cities have joined us,” she said.

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“While there are still many things that we need to do as a bus rapid transport system, we believe that we are definitely moving from where we are.

“We are aware of all the feedback we are getting and we have a strategy in place.”

She said since the start of the connector card, A Re Yeng has introduced five concessions – discounts for the working class, scholars, persons with a disability, over the age of 60 during off-peak times and free rides for over 65s during off-peak times.

Mutasa urged elderly residents to utilise the connector cards “because it is free”.

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Linde said the card could be used on A Re Yeng, Tshwane, Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya and in Cape Town’s My City bus services.

She said it was important for residents to change their minds set about public transport.

“We need to get out of our vehicles,” she said.

Linde said she was happy that Stoltz approached them and hoped that the initiative made a difference.

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