State attorney goes by bus
TAKING Rea Vaya to work is the best way to start the day for Vusi Makweni. He arrives at his chambers fresh and ready to get down to business.
Taking Rea Vaya to work is the best way to start the day for Vusi Makweni.
NOT many attorneys in South Africa opt to take the bus to work, but Vusi Makweni, a state attorney at the Johannesburg High Court, is happy to use Rea Vaya for his daily commute between Soweto and the city centre.
The 33-year-old lives in Dobsonville and has been using the services of Rea Vaya since April this year. There are several reasons that pushed him to use the bus, he says. He used to live in Bloemfontein, in Free State Province, where there is less traffic compared to Joburg.
Moving to the economic heartland of the country, with its congestion, meant new ways of getting around had to be discovered.
“When I got my job downtown I was determined to begin taking the bus. The closest stop is incredibly convenient for me.
There are some other obvious benefits, like extra exercise as I walk more now, good people-watching, saving money since a return trip costs R17, reduced stress as I do not have to use my car to work, environmental consciousness – as I am using a transport system that seeks to mitigate pollution,” he says.
Makweni takes a Rea Vaya bus daily at 7.30am from Ndingilizi in Dobsonville, next to Dorothy Nyembe Park, and hops off at Market Street Station. He is always on time for work, and has never had problems with long queues for a bus. But he does feel that the routes should be extended to other areas.
“I take a bus from a station that is a bit far from home; therefore I have arranged with a house owner closer to the bus station to park my car in his yard for the day and I take it back in the afternoon. It would be great if they expanded the routes so that we, (those staying far from the stations) can walk from home to the station,.”
Rea Vaya drivers also “drive in a manner that makes passengers feel as if they are on a cruise ship”. On the journey into town, the attorney checks Facebook and LinkedIn on his way to work, catching up on social media.
“Another great benefit I have from using Rea Vaya is that I can keep my mind busy doing constructive things, like reading and going on line and interacting on social media. By the time I get to my desk in the morning, I am ready to do my work. I do not need to ‘wake up’ for an hour once I get there.
I don’t feel the need to catch up on social networks because I have already done that on the bus. By the time I am at my desk, I am able to buckle down and get into the flow of working much quicker!”
Yet as much as he likes Rea Vaya, Makweni feels that there should be more buses during peak hours as the number of buses are fewer than the number of commuters.
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