BUS CRISIS NEEDS DESPERATE MEASURES

(My letter in today's Pretoria News)

The outcry among commuters about the collapsing bus service resonated recently in media
reports and discussions in Tshwane Metro meetings.
The executive mayor was quite frank about the state of affairs at the bus service during last
month’s council meeting. He admitted that the bus service is experiencing an unprecedented
crisis.
The DA is in agreement with the mayor – the sorry state of affairs is indeed a crisis. The crisis in fact a desperate situation that necessitates desperate measures to avoid a public transport disaster.
The DA welcomes the fact that consultants were appointed to identify key challenges
and suggest solutions to get the bus service back on track.
Worrying, however, is the inconvenience experienced by commuters on a daily basis. These
commuters, of whom many are elderly people, people with disabilities and pupils,
do not want to see Power point flight of fantasy presentations and hear promises
that their plight will not be ignored. They want tangible results. The risk of
not taking into consideration their needs will soon forever alienate this
client base. Without a reliable client base the bus service will not be viable.
Losing the bus service all together will paralyse any attempt to get the public
to switch to public transport.
The DA has repeatedly indicated its willingness to assist with fixing the problem. True
leadership and the political will to address the issues contributing to the bus
service, is what it will take to get this service back on track. We owe it to
residents of our city, especially those commuters who rely on public transport
daily.
Even those of us who do not use the bus service subsidise it through our rates and taxes;
buses are paid for by residents and are contractually owed the service by the
municipality; the courts would agree with this line of argument.