Lisa van Schalkwyk, Colorado Park
I would like to get the community involved as I am struggling to get Golden Arrow Bus Service to do their job properly. A bus travelling from Mitchell’s Plain to Claremont was taken off the route without consulting commuters.
There is no bus for retail workers, travelling to Mitchell’s Plain from Claremont and Kenilworth Centre.
This is highly unethical and disgusting that Golden Arrow is not concerned about the people of Mitchell’s Plain getting safely home from work.
Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, public relations manager for Golden Arrow Bus Services, responds:
Golden Arrow contacted MsVan Schalkwyk to address her concerns on Monday September 11 and she responded favourably to our explanation of how routes are changed.
In this particular case, Golden Arrow received requests from Cavendish Centre management to change the route to accommodate centre staff.
Before considering any changes, Golden Arrow informed passengers of the process involved in amending routes and that a petition would be required before it could be considered. The majority of passengers were in favour of the change and it should also be noted that the original route had low passenger numbers. A request for an official route change was then lodged with the provincial Department of Transport, who administer our operating contract. This was approved and the route was amended. Efforts have been made to accommodate Ms Van Schalkwyk’s concerns by making minor adjustments to another route, which is pending approval from the Department of Transport. Golden Arrow always has our passengers’ best interests at heart but given the limited resources at our disposal we unfortunately cannot always satisfy every request.
