FAQs

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Suggestion Box Frequently Asked Questions

SINCE the introduction of suggestion boxes at stations in May 2011, Rea Vaya has received a lot of feedback from its passengers. The compliments, suggestions and complaints have created a platform for future interaction between Rea Vaya and its commuters.

“We now have a better understanding of passenger preferences and needs,” says Jeff Ngcobo, Rea Vaya’s operations director.

The following are some of the major issues we have picked up through the station suggestion boxes, and our responses:

• Q: There is a demand for Rea Vaya services to be extended to areas not yet covered by the system, such as Orange Farm and Ennerdale. There is also a demand for services to be extended in Soweto to accommodate passengers who have to travel a distance to reach bus stops.
  A: We are very excited by the high level of demand for Rea Vaya. We are introducing Rea Vaya in phases and to date only Phase 1A of the project has been rolled out. Over the longer term, Rea Vaya will cover the whole of Joburg, connecting the many economic nodes and residential areas to each other. The next phase (Phase 1B) will be introduced in 2012.
  
  
• Q: There is a request to replace the current Protea Glen via Thokoza Park to the CBD feeder service with a complementary service that runs directly to the CBD without a station transfer being required. The same request was made for buses travelling from the CBD to Protea Glen.
  
  A: We acknowledge these requests from commuters who would prefer complementary services as opposed to feeders and then transferring to the trunk route. It is unfortunate that the Protea Glen feeder route feeds into Thokoza Park Station, which is the last station on the trunk route and thus is very busy. If a complementary service should be introduced from Protea Glen directly to the CBD with smaller buses having to run the full length of the trunk route, duplicating the service already operated by trunk articulated buses, the turn-around time of these buses would be much longer, requiring more buses and affecting the ability of Rea Vaya to supply its fast services at current prices. In the medium term, we may extend the trunk route towards Protea Glen, which would make travelling on Rea Vaya easier and faster.
• Q: Passengers travelling on the C2 (Maponya to Dobsonville) complain that the price structure is not balanced. They say passengers travelling from Jabavu pay R8.00 while passengers from Dobsonville only pay R4.00. Jabavu is closer to Maponya Mall compared to Dobsonville; therefore, the passengers argue, it is not fair.
  
  A: Rea Vaya agrees that the current pricing structure favours certain passengers. The reason for this is that Rea Vaya still uses a paper ticketing system with only three set fares. The R4.00 ticket is for the feeder and C3 (inner city route). The R7.30 ticket is for any passenger travelling on the trunk route, irrespective of the distance covered. The R10.50 ticket is for passengers who are connecting from a feeder route to a trunk route or vice versa. The introduction of the AFC (automated fare collection) system in the near future will operate with a smart card and will charge a passenger on a distance-covered basis that will rectify this shortcoming. Please refer to the AFC article elsewhere in the newsletter.
  
• Q: The buses are always full in the morning when they pass stations such as Diepkloof and Orlando Stadium. The same problem arises in the afternoon during peak times at stations like Mavumbi, Carlton Centre and Westgate. Passengers argue that this is the main reason that they end up waiting for close to an hour at the station for a bus.
  
  A: Buses are always very full between 7am and 8am in the morning and after 4pm in the afternoon because this is when most passengers would prefer to catch a bus to be able to arrive just in time for work or to immediately leave for home after work. We put all our available buses on the service at this time but it is still not enough. If we bought more buses, we would not be able to use them effectively for the rest of the day, and buses are expensive, meaning that more buses could increase the bus fare. We therefore urge passengers who travel to work or school during peak periods, especially in the morning, to arrive 30 minutes earlier than the usual time they arrive at the station to avoid the high peak. Passengers who want to use the services of Rea Vaya and are not limited to time constraints are encouraged to travel during off-peak times (between 8am and 4pm) as a lot of capacity is available during these times
  
  
• Q: Bus drivers are reckless and do not obey the rules of the road.
  
  A: We are very concerned about reckless bus drivers and do not condone this at all. The City is committed to provide quality services. Through our contract with Piotrans, the bus operating company, we ensure that drivers are properly trained and we monitor driver behaviour. If you have a complaint, please let us know and lodge your complaint.
  
  
• Q: The Sunday service is poor and passengers have to wait for long periods.
  
  A: Sunday services do not operate like weekday and Saturday services. The number of passengers travelling on a Sundays is about 10 percent of the number of passengers travelling on weekdays. So we only operate at 30-minute intervals. It should thus not be necessary for a passenger to wait for longer than 30 minutes if he or she arrives at a stop or station just after the previous bus has departed. If you are doing so, please let us know.
  
  
• Q: There is a passenger demand for the hours of operation to be extended in the evenings.
  
  A: We would like to extend hours of operation if there are enough passengers. Presently, the last bus departs from Ellis Park to Dobsonville and Thokoza Park at 9pm, and it is largely empty. Passengers using these buses and a feeder service such as Protea Glen, arrive at their destination only at about 11.30pm.
  
• Q: Some complaints have been lodged by passengers about station infrastructure, complaining that they get showered when it rains and that the stations are too cold.
  
  A: Rea Vaya stations are designed to be cost effective to construct and easy to clean and maintain. The stations use only natural light and natural ventilation. In general, stations provide a comfortable and safe environment for minimal passenger waiting times. There will, however, always be times, particularly during storms, when wind-driven spray may reach the station interior. This is usually for a short duration.
  
  
• Q: Passengers demand seats inside the station for the elderly and pregnant women.
  
  A: Rea Vaya stations are designed for relatively short waiting times for passengers. The initial design included a public participation process; after much debate, it was agreed through feedback to only have lean-rails at stations. But a small number of “fold-up” priority seats are being designed to be used by people who justifiably require seating for short periods of time. Station marshals will control the use of these seats once they are installed.
  
  
• Q: There is a demand from passengers for the use of the toilet inside the station.
  
  A: During the public participation process when Rea Vaya stations were originally designed, it was agreed that no public toilets would be provided at Rea Vaya stations. A single toilet is provided for the emergency use of station staff only who work full shifts.
  
  
• Q: The VMSes (variable messaging screen) at the stations do not work properly.
  
  A: Rea Vaya has had a number of problems with the VMS signs, mostly caused by optical cable breaks by contractors along the route and cable thieves. No communications operate when the cable is broken. Rea Vaya and Gautrain are the first systems in South Africa to use this sophisticated technology. Rea Vaya is working to fine-tune this system to work as designed. We also report all incidents of theft and vandalism.
  
  
• Q: Passengers suggested that intercoms should be installed inside the stations so that they can be informed of the time the next bus is coming.
  
  A: The intercoms in all the stations are working properly. They are only used to notify passengers about safety deviations and change of operations if there are any changes in the operations of the buses. Information regarding the next bus should be available from the variable message signs in the stations.
  
  
• Q: A suggestion was received to have entertainment inside the stations, like a Rea Vaya radio station, so that passengers can be informed and listen to music and the news.
  
  A: Rea Vaya will investigate the feasibility of such an offering, as the sound equipment at stations is not ideal for music and radio.
  
• Q: Passengers complain that station staff members are rude to them.
  
  A: Station staff members received advanced customer care training during June and July 2011. If a problem arises between a passenger and a station staff member, a complaint must be lodged against that staff member. Refer to the article “How to Lodge a Complaint”. We would like our passengers to be polite to station staff as well.
  
  
• Q: Passengers complain that station staff do not open the sliding door for them when the bus arrives.
  
  A: The procedure for operating the station doors is that the bus driver should open the station doors using buttons that are inside the bus and only if it safe to open. A station staff member should only intervene if the bus cannot open the station doors.
  
  
• Q: Passengers complain that the buses are cold in winter and they want heaters inside the buses.
  
  A: All future buses will have heaters installed.