Commuters queue for hours in dark and cold for transport

COMMUTERS who travel between Ritchie and Kimberley are forced to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to work or school on time, after several subsidised buses were impounded two weeks ago.

Commuters stated that the buses were unsafe and not roadworthy.

“We have to make use of taxis, but they can only transport a limited number of passengers at a time. This means that the taxis have to make multiple trips to and from Ritchie. It is also costing us double because the subsidised bus transport costs R15 per trip as opposed to the taxis that charge R30 per trip," they said.

They added that the availability of public transport has been severely limited since the buses were impounded.

“If we don’t wake up by 4am to queue in the dark and cold, we will arrive late for work and risk losing our jobs. Some pupils were even locked out of the school gates and couldn’t write their exams.”

Bus operators declined to confirm whether their salaries were being withheld while the vehicles were out of service.

Ritchie Public Transport Forum secretary Shadrack Metsimetsi said that only three buses were currently operating.

“We condemn the poor state of the buses. It is unacceptable and needs to be condemned in the strongest terms. People are suffering, and people’s livelihoods are at risk because of the recklessness of the bus company,” he said.

He accused the service provider of failing to offer safe and reliable transport.

“This is not the first time that commuters find themselves being transported in a ‘death trap’.

We are not taking this situation lightly and will not hesitate to take action against the service provider. 

“We call on the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison to take responsibility and place the interest of commuters first. The lives and livelihood of people are at risk, and we call on the department to take immediate action against the service provider.” 

Northern Cape Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison spokesperson Rennie Andrias apologised to commuters who were negatively affected.

“We want to assure the public that the department did not suffer any financial loss when some of the buses were not operating,” he said.

He added that the department had been made aware of defects on seven buses operating along the Ritchie–Kimberley route.

“We do regular inspections as a department to ensure that buses are safe and roadworthy. The service provider informed the department that the defects were remedied and all buses were issued with roadworthy certificates. 

“We commend law enforcement for their diligent work in ensuring our commuters are safe. The safety of commuters is our highest priority,” Andrias stated.

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) could not be reached for comment.