The ongoing dispute between Vukanini and Megabus has one clear loser… the commuters.
The bus system works on tickets sold at the beginning of each month.
This means that most of the bus users have already paid for their bus tickets. “I have already paid for the bus!” said one commuter to The Bulletin and continued: “Now I have to pay for taxi as well?”
Megabus (Unitrans) obtained a court order against Vukanini as well as Taxi Boss, Fanyana Sibanyoni on 4 February that read as follow:
Having heard counsel and considered the matter and documents filed, the following is ordered:
- The rules relating to service and time periods are dispensed with and this application is disposed of as one of urgency in terms of the provisions of Rule 6(12) of the Uniform Rules;
- The first respondent and its members and the second respondent, are interdicted and restrained from:
2.1. Preventing any of the applicant’s employees and any of the applicant’s busses from gaining free access to, or to freely exit, the applicant’s bus depots or parking stations in the Leslie/Leandra, Kriel, Kinross, Evander, Embalenhle, Bethal, Standerton and Secunda areas in Mpumalanga;
2.2. Obstructing in any way the access roads to, or the exit routes from, the aforesaid bus depots or parking stations;
2.3. Preventing the applicant’s passengers or prospective passengers, from making use of the applicant’s bus services;
2.4. Intimidating and/or interfering with the applicant’s passengers or prospective passengers;
2.5. Interfering with the applicant’s bus services or stopping any of the applicant’s busses; and
2.6. Damaging or vandalising any of the applicant’s busses or other vehicles or property; - The first respondent and second respondent are to pay the costs of this application.
It would appear that Vukanini Taxi Association is not going to take this lying down, as the expression goes.
The Megabus services have only partially been restored.
Commuters are still walking from Charlie 3 to eMbalenhle.
Sources told The Bulletin that an incident took place last week during which shots were fired.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
According to our sources, commuters stopped some taxis and heated arguments ensued, resulting in the shots fired. The Bulletin also learned that the main reason for the dispute is the transport route permits, especially between Kinross and Secunda.
Once again it appears that money is the root of all the problems.
