Cape Town - Cape Flats residents speak of how they struggled to get to work and back home after the reduction of the Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs) on Tuesday.
The bus service said on Tuesday that the taxi violence in Cape Town which has seen them operating a limited number of buses has affected approximately 100 000 of their commuters.
This comes after a Gabs bus driver was shot on Monday morning while transporting passengers along the N2 highway near Borcherds Quarry. The driver sustained a gunshot wound to his mouth.
Dyke-Beyer told African News Agency (ANA) that of Gabs’ 1 100 buses, it was currently running at approximately 40% capacity, with the most affected routes being Blue Downs, Mitchells Plain and Delft.
“Approximately 100 000 of our own passengers and thousands of others who were not able to make use of taxis and trains were affected,” she said.
Residents who were stranded due to the Gabs decision to limit its buses shared how they struggled to get to work.
Jongi Mahluko, 43, Site B, Khayelitsha: “I had to make a choice to reduce my hours or sleep at work. I was already two hours late for work and I had to leave early because I had to walk for two hours from Mitchells Plain.”
Khayakazi Mzinyati, 29, Kuyasa: “My bosses arranged transportation for us in the morning but we had to find our way back home. It is frustrating that we see buses but are told that we can’t travel in them because of the taxi violence.”
Fezeka Dyantyi, 32, Harare: “On Monday we were told that there are no buses in the Town Centre and no one knows when the buses will be available again. And we had to walk in the rain because we had no other alternative.”
Christolene Hartzenberg, 45, Beacon Valley: “I stood for hours in Mowbray waiting for a bus and eventually I went to the terminus and I was informed there were no buses. I had to ask people for money because I bought a monthly ticket and then I took a taxi home.”
Shireen Martin, Mandalay: “It was a big struggle for us to travel from Century City and we ended up getting an Uber and it was really sad watching people walk on the N7 and Lansdowne Road.”