Passengers stranded on N3
Bheki Mbanjwa
Durban - A double bungle by Intercape Mainliner left 67 passengers stranded for several hours on the N3 near Balgowan on Sunday night. An Intercape coach ferrying the passengers from Durban to Johannesburg broke down near Balgowan after a malfunction of the fan belt.
Traffic officers who attended to the scene certified the coach as unroadworthy after it was found that the fan belt and the pulley had stuck onto the engine. The bus also had oil and diesel leaks, defects which could have led to a fire.
The bus company sent a replacement bus which was also declared unroadworthy by traffic officials.
"The replacement coach had excessive oil leaks, with the hub seal also showing signs of diff oil leaks. There was also an oil leakage from the from the side shafts," said RTI spokesperson, Collin Govender.
Slow leak of diesel
He added that the "department of transport went out of its way and provided another bus - at the department's cost - that was to ferry the passengers back to the Intercape depot in the city.
However the offer was declined by the passengers who "got angry" and demanded to continue with their journey. The passengers were left stranded on the road well into the night as they waited until two buses from Intercape arrived and continued with the journey.
In a written statement, Johann Ferreira, the managing director of Intercape Mainliner, said that the first coach had departed the depot in a "100% condition".
He however said that "upon arrival at the [Durban] station it was noticed it had a slow leak of diesel from the diesel-tank". He said the coach had broken down due to the malfunctioning of the V-belt.
Safe, reliable service
Ferreira said that both coaches had valid roadworthy certificates and had undergone intermediate roadworthy tests in Gauteng last week.
Ferreira apologised for "any inconvenience caused and said that the Intercape management was conducting an internal investigation into the matter. He added that the passengers had been delivered to their homes free of charge and said that those who'd been inconvenienced were being dealt with by the Intercape's client-services department.
"Intercape is dedicated to render a safe and reliable service to his passengers and will do everything in his power to achieve this," he said.
Govender appealed to bus company owners to ensure that their fleet underwent regular servicing and stressed the importance of checking vehicles for defects prior to any journey.
News source: www.news24.co.za
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