October 5, 2007
By Emily Visser
LESS than three percent of Joburgers make use of the most affordable form of public transport - buses.
With vehicle exhaust emissions the biggest contributors to ground level ozone in cities and over a third of the 4,5 million registered cars in South Africa driving in Johannesburg, the time is ripe for people to start thinking of alternative means of transport.
One way is to join the other 90 000 people who take a Metrobus each day. Up to 58 cars can be taken off the road with just one single-decker bus.
A bus without passengers is a bus with no character; this is the sentiment shared by Metrobus drivers. And those who have been with the City's bus company for a number of years all have one thing in common – a passion to engage with the people on their buses.
"To drive alone in the bus is not nice," says Fikile Jwara, who was a bus driver for five years before she was appointed a dispatcher – a step up the career ladder - at the Milpark depot.
Jwara still hankers after her bus-driving days and reminisces fondly of her favourite route, the German School, because they are very lively and talkative. "It is nice to drive a bus because of the passengers."
A driver's day often starts before the sun is up
Haroon Klaaste, a bus driver with 25 years' experience, agrees. As a youngster he wanted to become a diesel mechanic; today, this grandfather of one is content to do the rounds in his bus. "I love working with people, like to assist people and keep them satisfied."
Patience
And knowing your left from your right will only get you so far in this job. What you need more than anything is patience, explains Joseph Ramavhoya, the operations manager at the Milpark depot and also an experienced driver. "You make good friends. You meet a lot of interesting people."
Resolving conflict forms part of this interaction. "People are difficult and you must try to accommodate everyone." Rudeness is one of the most common complaints levelled against bus drivers, and Ramavhoya often finds himself in the middle, mediator for the 35 000 people transported by Milpark depot buses each day.
"Finding the balance is my biggest job."
Yet passengers do have their favourite drivers. Klaaste has many regular customers; among them is a young schoolgirl who only takes his bus. Some days, he drives another route or drives one of the two luxury coaches on a special city tour. "I keep telling them [the little girl and her mother] to look at the bus number, not the driver."
Travelling the roads of Jozi
Still, the little girl only gets on when she and her mother recognise the familiar shape of Klaaste's kufi in the driver's seat.
New routes
For the last three months, Klaaste has been driving a new route which departs from Gandhi Square at six in the morning on its way to the turnaround point at Longmeadow industrial park, lying far to the east of the city centre.
The single decker bus can only take 44 passengers and is jam-packed by the third stop. "Three months ago, I had five people on board," he says; once residents realised that a regular bus service was available, the numbers of passengers kept growing.
Sindisiwe Zuka knows her way around a bus engine
Ramavhoya is on board to inspect the new route, and the unhappy grumbles of passengers standing on each others' toes do not go unnoticed. A squashed Ramavhoya assures the passengers that he will get another bus for this route. "Give me two weeks. This is not a promise; this is for sure."
Indeed, the communications officer for Metrobus, Esther Dreyer, says that if there is a clear need, an additional bus on an existing route or a completely new bus route can be arranged. "People can submit a petition to ask for a new route to be installed, indicating real names and numbers of people [wanting to use this service]."
For economic reasons, a minimum of 40 passenger names is required before Metrobus will consider the route.
Career choice
Metrobus is also trying to attract more women into this predominantly male environment. In 1995, Jwara was the first black female driver to join the bus team. Today, the ranks of female drivers have swelled to 56.
But care is taken not to expose female drivers to unnecessary risks, and early shifts and longer routes are reserved for male drivers. Female drivers can take care of themselves, though, and Ramavhoya is quick to point out that they "become just like the men", fulfilling their responsibilities without compromise.
"Bus driving is where you learn a lot of things. Everyday you have to deal with something different, solve problems. You grow."
Training new drivers takes six weeks. In addition to learning to drive these oversized vehicles, it includes how to operate the complex wayfarer machine, the ticketing machine in front of the bus. At the end of every day information is extracted from the ticketing module - all the information about the number of passengers transported, tickets issued and type of payment can be obtained from the module.
Bus drivers also have to undergo a public driver's permit test every two years to ensure their eyesight has not deteriorated. Most importantly, potential bus drivers need to have great people skills.
Take a girl-child to work
Besides bus driving, Metrobus has other career choices for women, and it is actively encouraging women to choose the service. Sowetan schoolgirls, for example, were treated to the unique smells and sounds of the transport world during the annual Take a girl-child to work day in May this year.
On this day, 26-year-old Sindisiwe Zuka offered them some additional inspiration. Zuka is doing her diesel mechanic apprenticeship with Metrobus this year and hopes to pass her trade test in October.
Rather petite, she cuts an unlikely figure in front of the huge bus engine and some of the oversized and bulky bus parts lying around. Changing the brake pads will definitely require some assistance but Zuka is undeterred. She sees herself working full-time in this industry and hopes to be employed by Metrobus in the not too distant future.
She admits that she is disappointed when other women are helplessness in the face of basic car maintenance.
Busing about
As a preferred employer, Metrobus offers salaries above the industry norm and employees have all the benefits of working for the council – housing subsidies, medical aid, pension and other benefits.
But more than being an employer of choice, Metrobus wants to be the preferred public transport provider in the city.
It was currently formulating its strategy for involvement in the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system, which would drastically improve the city's public transport, confirmed Yolisa Mashilwane, the director of management support in the Johannesburg transport department.
Dedicated bus lanes and incentives encouraging motorists to use public transport are just some developments being explored.
Metrobus is also working towards replacing its entire fleet. The first new buses were bought from Volvo in 2001, and in 2006, 126 new Mercedes Benz buses were added to the fleet.
It's dawn in the city and the bus queue is already forming
The company operates 500 buses along 80 routes each day; another 130 routes run exclusively on school routes every day – the German School alone uses 11 Metrobus buses each day. In total, more than a million kilometres are clocked up daily.
Park-and-ride
Ramavhoya sees one way of solving public transport problems through park-and-drive routes, with dedicated, safe, parking facilities in centrally placed areas from where buses depart on different routes. At the Walk the Talk event in Emmarentia in July, Metrobus transported 38 000 passengers in this manner.
The blue and grey buses with their green flashes have become familiar sights on Joburg roads. With the reassuring smoothness and reliability of its diesel engines, Metrobus hopes to increase their use to render a better service to Joburgers.
In October, Public Transport Month, they will have the chance to get some of the diesel into their veins, but more so, to consider becoming dedicated public transport users for good.
Ben Mokoena, who has been in the industry since 1989, has the last word. With black leather cap and easy demeanour he leans on his pool cue to reflect on the job during break-time.
"I want to serve people," he sums up simply.
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