Station ambassadors are the public face of Rea Vaya, the person passengers meet. Personable and outgoing, they answer questions and give help where it’s needed.

Asanda Cebisa is ambassador at Constitution Hill

PEOPLE pass through the Rea Vaya stations hurriedly as they go about their busy lives, and to ensure that the journey itself is one less aspect for passengers to worry about, there are station ambassadors to act as buffers.

This applies across the board, from the teeming stations like Johannesburg Art Gallery to markedly quieter ones like Constitution Hill. The ambassadors need to be able to deal with problems effectively and quickly.

“We need to be prepared to go the extra mile,” says Asanda Cebisa, the ambassador at the Constitution Hill stop. “During the World Cup, especially, we had to implement creativity to help our customers. We would do things like assist them to the park and ride facilities and help disabled people, because it was not only about representing Rea Vaya, it was about representing South Africa.”

Even though the passengers that go through the Constitution Hill Station are far less than in other stations, this does not make it any less stressful than working at the stations where thousands cross the threshold every day.

Malau Matsepe is kept on his toes at the JAG station

Dealing with ill-tempered clients doesn’t upset her, though. “It is my job to calm them down and build a relationship with them.” In fact, her interaction with the travellers is her favourite part of the job. “I worked for Capitec as a sales consultant before joining Rea Vaya, so I am used to marketing and dealing with people,” she says.

Malau Matsepe, the Johannesburg Art Gallery Station ambassador, also finds dealing with people as one of the most rewarding features of his job. His station is a busy one, with “about 2 000 people coming through every day”, Matsepe says.

There are usually about 300 in the morning and 1 600 in the afternoon and evening. Matsepe, who moved up from the ranks of station marshal, says that “being a supervisor and overseeing the day-to-day running of the station is another one of my favourite parts of the job”.

Sbongile Madonsela, the ambassador at the Chancellor House Westbound Station, on the other hand, thinks having “such a specialised job” is the best attribute of her post. “I like having to explain how things work to people who use the service.” Hers is another station that heaves with people throughout the day. Madonsela says: “To estimate how many people use Rea Vaya every day is very difficult, but we are very busy, especially at lunch time.”

Madonsela started at Rea Vaya as a cashier, but has worked her way up to station ambassador, which she is enjoying as a new challenge.

The station ambassadors are the face that passengers give to Rea Vaya, and with these individuals on hand to provide any help that customers require, it makes a journey on one of these buses a more pleasant, easier part of the day.

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