Durban travellers left stranded as bus strike grip tightens

Alex Wilson’s plan to visit his brother in Cape Town was scuppered when he was greeted by an empty bus terminal in Durban thanks to a nationwide bus strike which left thousands of passengers stranded.

Wilson‚ 28‚ a Malawian national who lives in the southern Bluff suburb had spent R670 for his ticket and was supposed to board an Intercape bus bound for Cape Town at 9:30am on Wednesday.

“I never knew about the bus strike. It was only when I came here at around 8:30am that I was told there were no buses. I tried to talk to them to give me a refund and they have promised me that they would refund me‚” said a disappointed Wilson‚ already making his way back to Bluff.

"I’m very disappointed that I’m no longer going there. I was going to spend two weeks there but now I will have to make another plan go get there‚” he said.

• Striking bus drivers target Easter weekendStriking bus drivers say that they “targeted” the Easter travelling season to demand a salary increase of between 12 and 15 percent from their employers. 

He was not the only frustrated passenger.

Clelio Karbe‚ 19‚ from the Democratic Republic of Congo‚ was still hopeful that she would make it to Cape Town after she was told that the bus was on its way.

“They (Intercape) said I should wait. There are people who have been here since 8:30am who have been demanding refunds. They refunded those going to Johannesburg and Pretoria. But they told us to wait‚” she said.

The 19-year-old first -year Human Resources student had planned to spend the Easter weekend with her mother‚ Julia‚ in Durban but something had forced her to return to Cape Town immediately.

“I have certain things to do back in Cape Town. I wish I could be refunded so that I could make another plan‚ maybe book a plane.” she said.

• Durban bus terminal a ghost town due to national bus strikeLong-distance bus operations have ground to a halt in Durban as a result of a nationwide bus strike‚ leading to growing fears that thousands of commuters could be affected over the Easter long weekend. 

Also frustrated was Caster Mathebula‚ 30‚ from Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga who had booked a Greyhound bus to Johannesburg.

“I have been visiting in Durban since Friday last week and I checked out of the hotel this morning but I found out when I came here that there were no buses. I was supposed to have left at 11am but I am still here. I’m not happy at all‚” he said.

Many frustrated passengers were seen in the offices of several bus companies inquiring about buses and some demanding refunds. Others were seen been collected by private vehicles while meter taxis made a roaring trade by returning passengers home.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE