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Drivers seen reading The Driver at Manline's Mkondeni depot. This company is always hiring, manje, they set high standards here so don't bother calling this number if you cannot reverse your link like a pro, call them on 083333-3339 to hear where the next tests take place. Sinkhole on N3
This sinkhole on the N3 outside Pietermaritzburg near the Peter Brown offramp on the N3 was quickly fixed, but now there is a deep dip in the slow lane to shake up the load. The best vehicle on earth is not, on earth, but on the red planet Mars. More on page 4
News to inspire professional drivers of all size vehicles in southern Africa
Nr 30, March 201 5
Bus operators worried about taxi wars NATIONAL bus operators last week repeated the message they give each year at the annual Southern African Bus Operators Association conference, but for 2015 they added service delivery protests into the mix. Addressing the operators on transformation in the bus industry, costing expert Philip van Ryneveld warned if bus operators did not get the increased subsidies they need to continue supplying cheap and safe transport, the current average of three service delivery protest a month in Gauteng could treble to nine — a pattern that he warned could repeat along bus routes everywhere in South Africa. Earlier deputy Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga told the assembled operators South Africa’s public transport challenges are compounded by serious service backlogs “as a result of years of neglect and underinvestment” in public transport. He warned just throwing more money at the problem will not solve the backlogs as South Africa already
Freda Cooper (second from left) with the Sekalis, who transport shoppers from the Eastern Free State to Gauteng, (from left) Joyce, Matshidiso, Lerato Sekali and Thabang Sekali.
subsidised about 60% of a bus ticket compared to 30% or less in Europe and zero percent in most African states. He said the solution for SA’s public transport challenges goes beyond funding and includes issues such as spatial development planning, proper management and proper planning. Several bus operators complained during forum discussions illegal taxi operators
were “stealing” their clients away, while the ongoing planning showed no signs of coming to an end. Van Ryneveld however told bus operators their view that rapid bus transport programmes will erode their business, must shift. He said bus rapid transport with its gross contracting payment model are not feasible on South Africa’s traditionally long bus routes, on which all the passengers typically travel to the
same destination on return journeys. Similarly, these long route operators would not survive in the shorter routes of cities, which has a business model that require passengers to constantly get on and off the bus. Lisa Seftel, former director of transport in the City of Johannesburg, said lack of clear leaders in the taxi industrylack of input from the taxi industry can still take the whole bus sector down. .