The bus is so crowded that a small schoolboy has to perch precariously on the steps above the doors that slam open and shut at every stop.
Passengers of Johannesburg’s Metrobus are annoyed by the constant problems they experience. Delayed and overcrowded buses, breakdowns and buses that simply do not arrive are all causes of their frustration.
One bus on a route in north-western Johannesburg has been forced to carry extra passengers over the past two weeks because a previous bus did not arrive.
Passengers on this bus are crammed into every available space. When people further back need to disembark they have to ooze through the standing crowd, forcing other passengers almost onto the laps of those lucky enough to be seated.
The driver, who prefers not to be named, realises that if he did not pick these people up, they would have no other way of getting home.
”It is very difficult and I do feel responsible to the passengers,” he said.
He said the biggest problems are unroadworthy buses and a shortage of buses. Last week his bus broke down three times on his route.
”We are expected to do our jobs but we get given busses that don’t work.”
Bridgitte Swanepoel (28) has been using Metrobus for five months and despite numerous complaints has seen no improvement.
”My son is six years old and his primary school stays open until 6pm. If my bus is late my son is left standing outside the school gates alone. This has occurred three times now and I am desperate,” she said in a letter of complaint that was sent to Metrobus in November.
Charles Hlabela, marketing and communications manager at Metrobus, said that he acknowledged the problems.
Metrobus has begun analysing all its routes with the intention of re-allocating buses to relieve overcrowding in certain routes, he said.
He said that while this will assist in addressing most of the challenges, it must also be noted that other factors also cause delays, such as heavy traffic and accidents.
They have also embarked on a vehicle maintenance programme that will deal with breakdowns.
Another passenger, Elizabeth Paraffin, realises that many South Africans rely on public transport but she has given up hope that the system will ever be reliable.
”We are so used to it,” she said. ”We just wait.” – Sapa