Scores of commuters were left stranded this morning following the suspension of Rea Vaya bus services in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The bus services suspended its operations following an unending turf war with taxi operators who are said to be displeased after the bus fleet was extended.

MEDIATION NEEDED

The City of Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene is set to mediate between the two transport services to find a solution to the problem. A week ago, Kunene unveiled 45 new Rea Vaya buses that would operate on routes throughout Soweto, which led to the taxi operators' dissatisfaction. Rea Vaya notified passengers via social media about the disruption in their service: "Rea Vaya Passengers are informed that buses are temporarily suspended until further notice. Some transport stakeholders have raised issues relating to feeder routes. We are engaging with them to establish the cause of the problem. We apologise for the inconvenience," read a post on X.

THEY DID NOT INFORM US

National Taxi Alliance (NTA) spokesperson, Theo Malele, said they were not informed that a new fleet of buses would be rolled out.

"The office of the MMC Kunene did not inform even the structures. Until they get their ducks in a row, operations will not resume until further notice. All these issues must be corrected and proper channels be followed before operations can be considered brought back to full swing," he said. Kunene said he was in a meeting with chairpersons of different taxi associations and that commuters would be briefed after the meeting.