The Rea Vaya bus service, a critical mode of transportation for most of Johannesburg’s commuters, is facing backlash due to ongoing issues with its smartcard reloading systems.
Parktown station has been offline for nearly a month, forcing passengers to reload at Thokoza Park and incurring additional costs on taxi fares between stations.
Rea Vaya responded to complaints on X, stating: “NOTICE: Commuters are informed that all the Rea Vaya bus stations are offline for loading money into the Smartcard, we apologise for the inconvenience, we will update on the changes.”
This response, however, was met with frustration from passengers.
One user commented, “It’s 2024. Still doing things manually. Why can’t customers, who so wish, load using bank apps and smartphones?”
Frustrated commuters slam Rea Vaya for failing to fix reloading systems
Kunene to address public on bus service's future
Image: Supplied
The Rea Vaya bus service, a critical mode of transportation for most of Johannesburg’s commuters, is facing backlash due to ongoing issues with its smartcard reloading systems.
Parktown station has been offline for nearly a month, forcing passengers to reload at Thokoza Park and incurring additional costs on taxi fares between stations.
Rea Vaya responded to complaints on X, stating: “NOTICE: Commuters are informed that all the Rea Vaya bus stations are offline for loading money into the Smartcard, we apologise for the inconvenience, we will update on the changes.”
This response, however, was met with frustration from passengers.
One user commented, “It’s 2024. Still doing things manually. Why can’t customers, who so wish, load using bank apps and smartphones?”
Another shared concerns about poor maintenance, stating, “Nothing ever works at most of your stations. Lakeview and Thokoza Park in Soweto are forever offline. I don’t know why your staff isn’t supervised; actually, the correct word is not micro-managed, because that’s how they prefer things to be.”
For many, Rea Vaya remains an affordable option compared to taxis, yet the repeated technical failures have strained commuters’ budgets.
Councillor Kenny Kunene, Johannesburg’s MMC for transport, is expected to address Rea Vaya’s future in a public meeting on Thursday in Meadowlands, Soweto, that may clarify those impacted by the persistent disruptions.
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