Taxi associations in Soweto stop Rea Vaya feeder buses from operating

Patrol vehicles belonging to different taxi associations in Soweto flooded the Thokoza Park Rea Vaya station and bus stops on Thursday morning, demanding that all 45 feeder buses that ferry commuters within the township stop operating.

This after two feeder bus drivers were shot dead in the past week. These are the feeder buses that were allegedly sourced from KwaZulu-Natal to operate locally.

Since the murders, the Johannesburg metro police have been escorting the drivers. On Thursday morning, the taxi drivers went to the metro police and told them that the feeder buses should park and the ones that were already out should return to the depot.

After that, one of the Rea Vaya employees went from line to line inside the station informing commuters that they should find other transport or go home as there was a possibility the buses would not be running in the afternoon either.

“The Johannesburg metropolitan police department [JMPD] is still trying to speak to the taxi associations to resolve the situation and bring back the buses,” she said.

The taxi drivers who spoke to Sowetan on Thursday morning said they didn't want the buses because they came from KwaZulu-Natal and were taking their business in Gauteng.

The feeder buses started operating in Soweto on October 28 but were interrupted three days later due to having number plates from another province.

Afterwards, Joburg MMC for transport Kenny Kunene sat down with taxi industry players and the buses went back on the road with metro police escorts. That was because people suspected to be from the taxi industry were removing people from the buses and demanding that they use taxis.

Speaking to Sowetan last year as the issue escalated, the secretary of the United Taxi Association Front, Thamsanqa Buthelezi, said tensions had been caused as they were not informed about the 45 buses.

“Members from different taxi associations were shocked because for the past 12 months or so these buses were not here and it was only the taxis operating. We were not informed about what was happening,” he said at the time.

Buthelezi also said the buses had arrived with number plates from different provinces which he said raised questions about whether they had permits to operate in Gauteng.

All the feeder buses were sent back to the depot this morning.

Sowetan reached out to both Kunene and Rea Vaya but they had not responded at the time of publication.

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