Golden Arrow offers free rides to boy, 11, who had to walk eight hours home

Golden Arrow Bus Services, which has been in the spotlight after a bus driver left an 11-year-old boy stranded, forcing him to walk about eight hours home, has offered the primary school pupil free rides in an attempt to make amends. 

Lifalethu Mbasana, who goes to a school in Simon's Town and lives in Khayelitsha, was kicked off the bus and forced to walk eight hours home after he lost his bus card. The incident sparked public outcry and the company has issued an apology, saying the driver has been suspended. . 

“Golden Arrow can confirm that company policy is to assist uniformed scholars in situations where they have lost their Gold Cards. The driver who failed to do so has been suspended,” the company said.

Lifalethu's mother, Siba Mbasana, expressed her dissatisfaction with the company's initial response.

“If they don't fire [the driver], he needs to be taken to a different route or whatever. I don't want to see that man. God forgive me.

“I don't know what will happen if I ever take a Simon’s Town bus and my son happens to tell me that 'this is the bus driver that kicked me out and separated me from my siblings',” she said in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

The incident unfolded when Lifalethu, travelling with two younger siblings, lost his bus ticket during boarding.

 “The siblings had their bus ticket and went inside. My eldest son lost his ticket. The bus driver said to him 'you are wasting my time. Get out. We need to leave. If you don't have a ticket, you get out now. We need to leave',” Mbasana recounted. 

Despite Lifalethu's attempts to rectify the situation, the bus departed, leaving him alone.

“My younger son actually wanted to double tap to pay for his brother, so obviously they said that's not allowed. The bus left my son behind, leaving my two younger children to go on their own. He started to walk,” the mother said, visibly shaken.

Left without means to contact his family, Lifalethu embarked on an arduous journey on foot.

“Usually he knows how the path goes so he followed the bus. He was exhausted. He went under a bridge to sleep with the people there, to regain strength. I think he was a bit scared because he's never been outside during that time. He was overwhelmed and scared,” Mbasana said.

The young boy continued his journey for hours in the dark, making his way from Muizenberg to Capricorn and into Strandfontein where he sought help from passing motorists to no avail until a compassionate group offered him a ride to Mitchells Plain.

“He says that it was Nigerian people who gave him a lift to Mitchells Plain,” Mbasana said.

When the boy arrived there he was helped by a kind man who walked with him to the Spar store five minutes from his home. He was recognised by police who accompanied him home where his mother was waiting anxiously.

“I remember when I was receiving my child at the gate from the law enforcement people. He looked fine. He's my first born so he always looks strong. He's always calm, never panics.

“But when I saw him, I broke down, obviously. He gave me a hug. He reassured me that he was OK. But when he went inside the house he was limping. The entire day yesterday (Tuesday) it was just me taking care of him. He was limping. His body was sore. The bag he carries is so heavy and he walked for eight hours to get home,” she said tearfully as she tried to control her emotions.

Mbasana said she was contacted by a Golden Arrow manager who offered Lifalethu free rides. 

“They said they wanted to give my son some type of a free ride for this term. Maybe it's three months or the entire year or whatever. I don't know what they mean, but they said they wanted to come to my house on Saturday,” she said. 

Joy Maimela, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education,said she was distraught about the incident.

“Everyone understands that companies have rules and regulations. This driver should have assisted the learner, especially since it is his company's policy. He should also have been compassionate to the plight of the grade 6 learner. We all know that it is not always safe out there for our children,” she said. “It is completely unacceptable that this was allowed to happen. It is clear that the driver did not think of the boy’s safety.” 

In response, Golden Arrow reiterated their policy and urged parents to ensure their children could contact them in emergencies.

“In circumstances where unaccompanied minors are making use of our services, we ask parents to assist us by ensuring that their children are able to contact them in an emergency,” the company said.

The incident has sparked conversations about safety measures on public transport, with renewed calls for accountability and vigilance to protect vulnerable passengers.

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