Spending up to 45 minutes waiting in line for a parking spot to become available has become the norm at several Gautrain stations in Pretoria as the number of commuters increases.
Commuters patiently sat waiting in their cars yesterday, hoping for a car to leave, while the entrance to the Pretoria station parking lot was guarded by four security guards close to a sign reading “parking full”.
Solly Madumo, a legal officer working in the Joburg CBD, said he was often late for work due to the parking situation at the Pretoria station.
PARKING NIGHTMARE
Madumo, a regular commuter from Estia Park, said he did not have any problems with parking before winter.
“I only started using the train recently again after winter, and since then, parking has been a nightmare. This happens up to three times a week and I am then told to wait for a spot to become available or to go the Hatfield or Centurion stations,” he said.
He said he preferred not to make use of the Hatfield station parking lot as it was too busy during peak hours and it sometimes took him up to 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot.
He explained that going to the Centurion station meant travelling extra kilometres and an increase in petrol usage.
“The closest bus stop to me is in Boom Street. It is about 7km from my house and too far for me to walk. My wife works on the other side of town and cannot drop me at the station. The only option I have is to use my car and park it at the station,” he said.
Madumo said he was forced to go to the Hatfield station three times last week as he had meetings he could not afford to miss.
Bombela spokeswoman Kelebogile Machaka confirmed that parking has become a problem at several Gautrain stations.
BECOMING POPULAR
She explained that the train system carried between 37 000 and 40 000 commuters a day, and about 13 000 of those commuters used the buses.
“Considering that this growth [60 percent growth year-on-year] reflects not only a simple purchasing decision but a fundamental change in consumer behaviour, it is clear that commuter take-up has been exceptional,” she said.
Machaka said Bombela Concession, along with the Gautrain Management Agency, were looking at several system enhancements to try to alleviate capacity problems, not only in the parking areas but on the trains as well.
She urged commuters living and working near bus routes to make use of the service. -The Star