Locals have their say on suspended Tshwane bus operations
“Yes, buses are cheaper but they are not reliable now.”
Pretoria residents can expect a prolonged Tshwane bus services suspension.
The Tshwane metro announced on Friday via Twitter that buses would remain non-operational.
It was not clear when operations would resume.
Frustrated residents voiced their concerns over having to spend more on other forms of transport.
CBD resident Lehlohonolo Lofafa told Rekord that he had to spend more than his budget for transportation.
Lofafa said he knew how much he needed to spend on transport for the whole month, but now because of the municipal strike he had to dig into his savings to get to work.
“The municipal buses are cheap but they are proving not to be reliable day in and day out.
“If I am not mistaken, this is the second time in just a space of two months since the metro left us stranded like this,” said Lofafa.
He furthermore asked if the metro would refund its customers for the inconvenience it cost most of them.
“I wonder if the metro would reimburse us, as we had to fork out from our savings to go by.”
Martin Mosia of the Mamelodi amalgamated taxi association (Mata) told Rekord that the strike boosted the taxi industry business.
Mosia said since the start of the strike business has been booming.
“I am not happy to see our brothers and sisters struggle but at the same time, I am happy because finally, we can see what we are working for,” he said.
“We have more commuters in the morning and during peak hours, as the majority of the passengers we have now are from the busses.”
Collins Letsaba echoed Mosia’s sentiments saying the last time he made a profit in the industry was when trains were not operating.
Letsaba said before the municipal strike he carries half a load from Mamelodi to town but since the strike, his taxi was always full.
“We are no longer competing for passengers, we have too many people wanting to be ferried between home and work.
“Yes, buses are cheaper but they are not reliable just like now, but we are and we can get them to work in time,” he said.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro would not reimburse its commuters as their bus cards worked purely on pay-as-you-ride.
“Bus services operate on a connector card on which one load of the points will be valid once operations resume,” Mashigo concluded.
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