Pretoria - A Re Yeng bus commuters in Mamelodi on Monday voiced their unhappiness with the withdrawal of the service, saying “it took food off their tables”.
The bus service was halted indefinitely last Thursday, leaving commuters scrambling for other public transport and dealing with the strain on their pockets.
Commuter Kitso Maimane said the cost of alternative transport was becoming a big financial burden, especially because she had just reloaded her monthly ticket when the service was stopped.
She worried about reimbursement. “I have been forced to use taxis which is more expensive, and I had not budgeted for this,” she said.
Peter Ndaliso, who reloaded his monthly ticket to Centurion last week, said he had to borrow money to make ends meet. He said he was working on a tight budget and didn’t have money for a taxi.
Sbongile Dyani, a housekeeper in Lynnwood, said she worried that Christmas was around the corner and she would not be able to spoil herself and family members because all her money was going towards finding alternative transport.
This was the general consensus among bus commuters, who said the bus strike inconvenienced them greatly.
Tshepo Mogale, a security guard at Wapadrand, said they were paid according to shifts. “It’s no work, no pay, and so far I have missed five shifts. This also has a bearing on my family. What are they going to eat?” he said.
MMC for Roads and Transport Sheila Lynn Senkugube said the removal of the buses was the result of a dispute caused by the Mamelodi taxi associations, which wanted A Re Yeng operator Tshwane Rapid Transit to increase prices with them to R18.
The chief executive of the Tshwane Rapid Transit, Sam Matebane, said they took the decision to pull buses off the route after careful consideration and consultations with key stakeholders.
He said they reached the tough decision to suspend the operations in Mamelodi until further notice.
This was after a series of threats of vandalism by some members of the community demanding the provision of additional buses. He said they had letters of demand from concerned groups and taxi associations in Mamelodi. “Regrettably the entity is unable to accede to all demands due to its operational framework and existing contractual obligations,” he said. People should contact the A Re Yeng call centre (0123231754) to arrange a refund.