Free State transport company, Interstate Bus Lines (IBL), said rumours that the company has not reduced the bus fare as promised in August, are untrue. The company has also encouraged commuters who are unhappy to come forward instead of spreading rumours.
This comes after several commuters have contacted Voice about what they call IBL’s “broken promises”.
Following a meeting the bus giant had with the MEC of Police, Roads and Transport on 25 August, the company announced that from 1 September 2017, it would reduce its tariff increase from 9% to 6.5%.
However, according to bus commuters the fare reduction never took effect. A woman who uses the bus every day from Phelindaba to Bayswater, said they are still waiting for the reduction in bus fare.
“What angered me more this morning, was the fact that the bus did not even pitch to fetch us. Yet, when we bought our monthly tags, we paid for that trip. In cases such as these, where they are clearly at fault, they do not pay the money for the trip back to us,” the woman, who requested to remain anonymous, said.
Another commuter, Boitumelo Moriana, confirmed the woman’s story, saying after the strike action, fees have remained the same. Moriana said there are rumours doing the rounds among commuters that they must accept the prices because the bus fare increases every year.
However, IBL has refuted these claims. Spokesperson for the IBL, Thando Lepele, said that the first complainant’s allegations that the bus did not arrive at all to pick her up from Phelindaba to Bayswater are false.
“On 5 October 2017 the bus operated well on time. The Tracker report clearly shows the bus arrived at Phelindaba at 06:29:34 and started moving at 07:31:49. It completed the entire route through Bayswater,” Lepele said.
Dealing with a second allegation, Lepele said it is also not true that the company does not refund commuters when it is the company’s fault for missing a bus trip. She explained that as long as the a complaining passenger’s tag has not expired, the organisation is willing to refund this passenger in the case of missing a trip due to a bus problem.
Moving on to the issue of the bus tariff reduction, Lepele said: “We do not see where the allegation of bus reductions comes from. From 16 August 2017 to 31 August 2017 we gave a discount of 7%.” She also explained that the company reduced its tariff increase from 9% to 6.5% from 1 September 2017 and has “made several concessions on expiry dates where tags expired later to assist passengers”.
She further made a plea to the complainants to come forward so that the matter and any misunderstanding resulting from it may be clarified.
Pulane Choane
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