Last year Metrobus introduced new schedules that gave commuters hope for better service delivery. But according to Tanya Ihlenfeldt of Honeydew, that hope has been lost.
She alleges that for more than three months, the bus she usually catches from her work to her home has not arrived. The route 84 bus travels from Westgate Mall to Honeydew and is scheduled to arrive at the mall at 3.55pm. “We are really suffering with all these changes that Joburg Metro is undergoing. If we were travelling for free I would not complain but I upload my trips every month with no complaint even if the prices go up.”
The situation is a huge inconvenience and affects Ihlenfeldt’s finances. She ends up having to pay penalties at her son’s school for fetching him late and sometimes things are so bad her husband has to fetch her, even though she has purchased a bus ticket.
She also claimed how inconsiderate bus drivers can be. “I don’t know what to do anymore, every day I stand at a bus stop on Eloff Street extension and the buses just don’t stop. I don’t know if it is because I’m white that I maybe seem invisible?”
Her efforts in trying to receive intervention from Metrobus offices have proved fruitless. “If I complain they look at me and laugh in my face, I really don’t know what kind of customer service that is.”
Spokesperson for Metrobus Esther Dreyer said all three Metrobus depots have been struggling to operate all their shifts on a daily basis due to a severe shortage of buses. “As an interim measure we have leased a number of buses from another bus company to alleviate the situation – some of these leased buses have already been delivered and they are being prepared for use early this week [week ending 7 February].”
She concluded by saying Metrobus will be purchasing new buses in the near future.
Details: Metrobus 011 403 3400.
