Rea Vaya drivers at the Meadowlands, Soweto, depot brought operations to a standstill on Monday morning, blocking the exit point and demanding the replacement of what they said were unroadworthy buses.
Some of them even had expired licences, they said. They placed a bus at the entrance gate to block any buses from leaving, including the ones with working discs.
Passengers were notified via Rea Vaya’s official social media platforms that all bus services would be suspended for the day.
We cannot continue operating with expired license discs and buses that don’t have handbrakes or lights
— Rea Vaya driver
“Buses have been blocked from leaving the depot. We are in contact with operating companies to establish the problem,” the City of Johannesburg said in a brief statement on X.
According to protesting drivers, they have been forced to transport commuters in buses with expired licence discs, some dating back to 2022. They claim repeated concerns have gone unaddressed.
“Today we are tired of this problem, that’s why we decided to stop everything. We cannot continue operating with expired licence discs and buses that don’t have handbrakes or lights,” said one driver, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The drivers told Sowetan the reason they didn't want to drive those buses was that whenever they get into accidents or get stopped by the traffic officers they have to pay for the ticket from their own pocket and then claim from the company, which does not compensate them.
Commuters were left stranded during peak morning rush, and advised to seek alternative transport for the day.
SowetanLIVE
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