Putco suspends bus operations in national shutdown
|Published
Bus company Public Utility Transport Corporation (Putco) has confirmed that it has temporarily suspended some of its buses operating today amid threats and intimidation by protesting members of the EFF. Picture: Itumeleng English/Africa News Agency(ANA)
Johannesburg – Bus company Public Utility Transport Corporation (Putco) has confirmed that it has temporarily suspended some of its buses operating today amid threats and intimidation by protesting EFF members.
The company said it has suspended some of its operations in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng for fear of violence against its workers and commuters.
This comes after the bus operator issued a statement assuring commuters that it would be fully operational on Friday.
The nationwide protest was led by the EFF and supported by political parties such as the ATM, UDM, and civil organisations and organised labour to highlight the challenges of load shedding, unemployment, crime, and the high cost of living, among other issues, the country is facing.
Putco spokesperson, Lindokuhle Xulu, said the decision to operate today, was reached after an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga.
“This follows an urgent meeting between the Minister of Transport (Chikunga), her deputy, senior government officials, and the executives of the Southern Africa Bus Operators Association (Saboa) on Thursday afternoon, during which bus operators were urged to treat Monday as a normal business day and to provide public transport services as usual,” Xulu said.
Xulu said some of its staffers were the first to encounter blocked roads this morning, with incidents of stoning and damage to some of its fleet.
It is reported that in Eldorado Park, staff buses were unable to pick up drivers, rendering the Nancefield depot unable to operate.
“The minister implored Putco and other bus companies to operate and assured them that sufficient security measures were in place for the safety of passengers, staff, and the general public during the planned national shutdown,” he said.
A concerned commuter in Pretoria said that in spite of the assurances by the company that it would be business as usual today, she has been left stranded.
“I was at the Marabastad depot this morning, and the depot was deserted despite the bus company assuring commuters that it would be business as usual. Street vendors have also not opened shop,” the commuter said on social media.
The Star