UTHUNGULU Bus Service again let down its passengers with no warning, leaving them stranded in the rain.
People who commute from rural KwaMthethwato from places as far away as Dondotha, Bhubhubhu, Cinci, Embabe daily to work at Richards Bay and Empangeni, woke up on Monday morning find there were no buses to ferry them to work.
Nobody knew what the reasons for the buses no-show was, but it was later established the bus drivers were on strike.
As rain came down in buckets; on muddy, mushy roads, a lot of passengers travelled towards their places of work, hoping to find some means of transport on their way.
When Zululand Observer talked to one passenger, she said, ‘Apparently the bus drivers have not been paid for three weeks. And, rumours have it, the company CEO has disappeared, therefore the bus drivers finally decided to down tools, and go on strike, in the process leaving thousands of travelers without transport.
Abel Dlamini of Bhubhubhu who works at Transnet, Richards Bay wailed: ‘I bought a monthly bus ticket which cost me R546 from home to Richards Bay.
‘So when I found out about the unavailability of the buses yesterday, I was very angry since on top of the monthly bus ticket I bought, I have to pay R50 daily for taxis from home to work.
‘Patane Bus Service is helping out, but its drivers are so uncooperative and impatient, it seems like somebody held a gun to their heads to assist.
‘One of the bus drivers snapped at me, ‘I’m not going that route, so you will have to disembark at Empangeni CBD’, which was going to be a long way for me to get to work, in the rain, nogal,’ said an angry Kayise Meyiwa.
Attempts to speak to the bus CEO, Mr Sithole or his wife were fruitless as their cellphones were off.
I would like to thanks ZO for informing us about things happening around keep up the good work. About the Uthungulu Bus service I think the CEO Mr Mduduzi Sithole has no respect to his employees (drivers) and passengers he treats them like animals and his buses are not roadworthy, if a passenger phone him he just say I dont owe anything use ather transport. I think its time for him to take his skorokoro buses and leave. Thanks to Ikhwezi for transporting people its shows that they know that commuters are most important to this kind of business.