Commuters stranded as Tshwane suspends its bus service

Tshwane bus commuters have been left stranded following the metro's inability to provide fuel for its fleet after a service provider was not paid.

Since Monday afternoon commuters have had to seek alternative transport after the Tshwane Bus Service was suspended.

The metro’s spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the city had engaged the fuel service provider who promised to deliver on Monday evening, but didn’t, resulting in more than half the fleet running empty.

“More than half of the Tshwane Bus Service fleet is not running this morning because we did not get the delivery of diesel last night as we had anticipated. The few buses that are running are those that had some residue of diesel left in their tanks, but that diesel would soon be depleted,” he said.

“We wish to reiterate our apology to our valued commuters for the inconvenience caused. We will continue to engage with our service provider with a view to expediting the delivery of diesel today so that services can return to normal”

He also said some buses would be diverted to a nearby Engine garage to refill and get service running while the matter is being resolved. But commuters who have already loaded their coupons would still be able to use them once the service is up and running. 

“The City would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the interruptions to the bus service operations.”

sibiyan@sowetan.co.za