Lack of municipal buses cause frustration
Yolanda Nel - The Windhoek Municipality is facing a shortage of buses and drivers, which has influenced the efficiency of bus routes in the capital, leaving commuters frustrated.According to municipal spokesperson Lydia Amutenya, the need to secure more buses is long overdue. “The council is doing their best to budget for buses,” she said.
One commuter who makes use of the service on a daily basis, Lu-Ann Swarts, said everyone is fed-up with the situation. “The buses are always late and when it does arrive, it is always full.”
She said the municipality is not doing everything in their power to sort out the problem. “During non-peak hours the service runs smoothly and the buses stop at every designated bus stop. But by 17:00 when everyone needs to use the bus, it only stops at one bus stop in a given area.”
Based on earlier reports, the suburb most affected is Otjomuise, but that the situation was bad in all areas. Swarts, who commutes from Katutura to Kleine Kuppe, said bus transport is problem all over Windhoek and the problem persists. “The problem is not worse during the morning than the evening. It is bad all the time.
“Someone needs to check up on the bus drivers to see if they are doing their job effectively. The buses must be serviced, because many have already experienced breakdowns,” she said.
These breakdowns cause even more delays.
Amutenya could not confirm how many buses are needed to ensure smooth operations of the service in future. She did however say that meetings will take place to discuss the situation. No date was given as to when the City would acquire any new buses.