DA asks if passengers can trust Metrobus after latest accident

The DA has called on Johannesburg's MMC of transport Kenny Kunene to launch an investigation to determine the extent of Metrobus’s involvement in the accident near the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Kingsway campus on Tuesday morning. 

The accident between the Metrobus and another bus resulted in injuries to 77 people, including 19 UJ students. 

The DA said it was concerned about what it called the failing state of the Metropolitan Bus Services (Metrobus). 

“The city can ill afford to have 145 buses, out of 383, out of service,” said Tyrell Meyers, DA shadow MMC for transport, and Mark van der Merwe, DA spokesperson on Metrobus.

The party said thousands of people in Johannesburg were dependent on the Metrobus system. They said with 38% of buses out of commission, these commuters were often left stranded.  

“The most recent quarterly report confirms exactly that, while noting Metrobus was unable to meet their required planned trips. 

“With an ageing fleet, 59% of buses are older than 15 years. The Metrobus service not only lags behind the industry standard in the age of their fleet, but the numerous accidents this year begs the question, can residents trust the service?” Meyers said.

On February 8, a Metrobus bus travelling on Edenvale Road to Gandhi Square in the Johannesburg CBD was involved in a collision. It collided with a truck and 52 passengers and the driver sustained injuries. 

It was later established brake failure in the truck led to the collision.

On June 9 a Metrobus single decker bus caught fire after leaving the Roodepoort CBD. No one was  injured.

Meyers said drivers should be monitored while bus maintenance and delivery of services should become the main goal.

Metrobus spokesperson Goodwill Shiburi said all buses the company put on the roads were in a roadworthy condition.

'What we are interested in is the safety of the commuters,” Shiburi said.

The Metrobus single-decker bus which was involved in the accident on Tuesday morning was travelling from Sunninghill when it collided with a bus contracted by UJ to transport its students near the institution's Auckland Park Kingsway campus, Shiburi said.

He said 19 of the injured people were on the bus contracted by UJ and 57 on the Metrobus. He said a pedestrian was also injured. There were no fatalities.    

Shiburi said they had an impeccable safety record in the past five years.

He said Metrobus had found a replacement bus to ensure passengers on the Sunninghill to Soweto route were not affected after the accident.

“More than 15,000 passengers depend on our services every day,” Shiburi said.

Kunene said an investigation has been launched to establish the cause of Tuesday's accident.

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