Commuters, whether using a bus service or a taxi, are encouraged to report bad driving or unroadworthy vehicles to the various companies or to the relevant authorities.
This comes in the wake of several fatal accidents on the region's roads the past month. In most of these accidents, driver negligence seemed to have been the cause.
Local commuters have complained on several forums about overloaded buses and taxis, as well as aggressive driving and speeding. In some cases, commuters have resorted to blocking off roads in protest against the bus and taxi companies. But the bus companies said they had instituted various measures to monitor bad drivers and ensure that their vehicles were roadworthy. Some of them have even set up toll-free numbers where problems can be reported.
A regular commuter, who asked to remain anonymous, said that in the absence of a regulated system of transportation, anything went. "Reckless drivers, with a taste for lewd and vulgar music, will gamble with our lives," he said.
"Most bus and taxi drivers don't care about the safety of their passengers, they only worship money and their buses and taxis are not roadworthy. They drive like headless chickens. We just keep quiet because if you say something they'll insult you." He said the drivers' bad behaviour got reported to the bus owners, but no action was taken.
The Mabirimisa Bus company's spokesperson, Ms Takalani Mabirimisa, said that ensuring that the necessary regulatory measures were adhered to before buses were allowed to transport passenger was very important. Buses must be roadworthy and the drivers properly registered. She also said that the safety of commuters was very important to them. "This (an accident) is bad for us, because our commuters are like family to us. We transport these people every day from their homes to work," she said.
Mabirimisa said that they met with road and transport officers every month to check the roadworthiness of all buses. She said that commuters were welcome to report any bad driving by dialling the numbers displayed on the buses. She invited commuters to report problems to the commuters committee, who in turn will report to the management of the company. She said that disciplinary measures were taken against drivers accused of negligence and they would be suspended if found guilty.
On behalf of the Mulaudzi Bus Company, Ms Maria Mulaudzi said that the problem of late arrivals had been mostly resolved. "Our buses might be looking old, but they are roadworthy. We told our drivers to be punctual, otherwise we will lose our customers," she said.
Mulaudzi said that commuters were encouraged to report bad driving and they displayed the phone numbers where commuters could complain inside their buses. They also adhere to all legislation, such as having the necessary passenger liability insurance.
Mr Leo Gama, the spokesperson for the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), said that commuters should report problems using the customer-service lines provided. LEDA is the managing agency of Great North Transport (GNT). "Each bus has a number that will help commuters identify it. We urge commuters to take down that number and report it to us. Appropriate action will be taken if it's found that the driver acted improperly," he said.
Mr Patrick Mapengo from Do Light Transport said that whenever they received complaints from commuters about issues such as overloaded buses, they followed up by interviewing the driver. "We sit down with the driver and ask him why the bus was overloaded," he explained. Mapengo said that all his company's buses were roadworthy.
Mr Mashamba Maphaha, the chairperson of the Dzanani II Taxi Association, said that they had implemented a system where the taxis must display the customer-complaint numbers. When such a complaint is reported at the office, the driver is summoned to explain what had happened. A disciplinary hearing is held and if the driver is found guilty, he or she will be fined or even suspended.
Maphaha encouraged commuters to make use of the system and report drivers who make themselves guilty of bad driving or overloading.