More than 40 Rea Vaya buses operate with licence discs that have expired as far back as 2022, while countless others are allegedly unroadworthy with faulty brakes, broken interior lights and doors that can’t close properly.
The conditions of these buses are at the centre of the protest by drivers who brought operations to a halt on Tuesday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
The drivers blocked the exit point at the Meadowlands depot with one of the buses, preventing others from leaving.
They alleged they have been forced to transport passengers in buses with expired licence discs, some dating back to 2022, and that their complaints have long been ignored.
Sowetan observed several buses with expired licence discs dating back to September 2023. “How are we supposed to work with buses that don’t have brakes or headlights? Yet somehow, they pass roadworthy tests in Lenasia,” said one driver who asked not to be named.
“After 5pm, it becomes dangerous because these buses are dark inside [due to the interior lights not working]. We’ve also been fined [by the metro cops] and the tickets are registered in our names. The company promised to reimburse us, but that never happened.”
The drivers said many of them have received traffic fines for expired discs and unroadworthy vehicles which they said they had to pay from their own pockets.
"We have been risking our lives using these buses and the city continues to fail us because when they (traffic cops) pull us off the road during accidents they can see that our buses are not roadworthy, but that very same bus return to the road the following day. We are demanding new buses and they should not do as they did with the feeder buses where we lost some of our colleagues," a driver said.
According to the company's business rescue practitioner Mahier Tayob, at least 45 buses currently have expired licence discs, despite having valid certificates of fitness (CoFs). Tayob was appointed in December 2023 to save the company.
He said the reason the buses were not operating was because of constructive sabotage, and that he was in the process of approaching court on an urgent basis. "The buses were strategically parked, not by Piotrans (the company that operates Rea Vaya) employees but by saboteurs. We aim to have it resolved at first opportunity.
Tayob confirmed that many buses did not have valid licence discs. "We suspect 45 for now, however, we have the certificate of fitness validating the roadworthiness of the buses. We have consistently asked the city together with its attorneys, as to the amounts due, which was met by a deafening silence."
Tayob further accused the City of Johannesburg of making it impossible for Piotrans to reinvest in new buses.
“The city has failed Piotrans and its shareholders. It clandestinely awarded a contract with the understanding that certain suspensive conditions must be met. One such condition is the transfer of employees. We have yet to have sight of this award and the city has failed to provide the same, despite a Promotion of Access to Information Act application.
This is going to affect us a lot because where are we supposed to get the money for a taxi? Rea Vaya never priorities their customers and now we are left stranded. They will not even give us free rides or compensate us.
— Commuter, Rebecca Makhoane
“Its (the City's) conduct will be exposed in a further application. Once that application is issued, the contents will be public knowledge.”
Despite the serious allegations made by the protesting drivers, Rea Vaya spokesperson Benny Makgoga downplayed the issue, describing it as an “internal matter” currently being resolved. He did not respond to allegations made by the drivers but rather said: “The City of Joburg’s Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport regrets to inform passengers that bus services have been suspended due to internal issues faced by the operating companies.
“It has come to light that some buses were used to block the depot’s exit early this morning, August 4, 2025. We are currently in discussions with the operating companies Piotrans and Litsamaiso to find a solution that will allow services to resume today.”
The strike left hundreds of commuters stranded at various bus stations across Johannesburg, including Matshidiso Mokoena, who arrived at Thokoza Park station in Soweto only to discover there were no buses running.
“I found out late that the buses weren’t working. I usually take a taxi from home to the station for R17, then get on the Rea Vaya. Today I ended up paying nearly triple what I normally spend. I had loaded my card with R300 just last week now I have to spend money I didn’t budget for on taxis,” said Mokoena.
Another commuter who works at Helen Joseph Hospital, Rebecca Makhoane, said she spends R50 on a single trip to work when using a taxi.
"This is going to affect us a lot because where are we supposed to get the money for a taxi? Rea Vaya never priorities their customers and now we are left stranded. They will not even give us free rides or compensate us," said Makhoane.
The drivers asserted that they will only come back to work when the licence discs are renewed or they were given new buses.
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