SA Roadlink banned from KZN

[Gory51]

I think thats standard on these coaches? ( not have rollcages, I may be wrong though)

Thing is roll cage or not, if it crashes its a lot of weight, cage will cruch people will still get hurt. Object is not to crash.

 

[Fudzy]

And blue lights

The ironic thing is that transport MEC was same guy defending those bloated ego trips on Carte Blanche.

 

[marine1]

Yeah, you are right.

 

[charlie_82]

Would've liked to have seen this happen sooner but, better late than never.
http://stopsaroadlink.blogspot.com/

 

[charlie_82]

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2443142,00.html

The sad thing is, it always the drivers' fault...
The company can force these drivers to make a another trip straight (and there seems to be a lot of speculation that this is what Roadlink has been doing) after just completeing one, threatening to fire them.

 

[Pitbull]

The sad thing is, it always the drivers' fault...
The company can force these drivers to make a another trip straight (and there seems to be a lot of speculation that this is what Roadlink has been doing) after just completeing one, threatening to fire them.

He overtook another car and caused a head-on collision. How can that be anyone elses fault ?

 

[charlie_82]

Apparently it was because the bus clipped the truck he was trying to over-take. Which could've been caused by fatigue.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not making excuses for the driver. It could very well have been that he fscked up for no good reason.

I just know that I've worked insane hours because I had no other choice. Sure, no one's life was at risk me doing it, but I know how it feels to be drained & have your judgement obscured.

By no means am I excusing what happened on Tuesday, or with any other accident RL has been in/caused.
I've travelled with them b4 and got stranded in the middle of the bush for over 2 hours, even though all the passengers tried to tell the driver something was wrong with the bus 5 minutes after we left the station. I realise now how thankful I should be seeing as how it could've been so very much worse.

I just don't want all the focus to be on the driver when the company as a whole is at fault too. Afterall, these idiots hire driver's who have criminal records...

 

[Ou grote]

It seems they're going to defy the ban
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2443542,00.html

But SA Roadlink risk manager Herman Steyn said the company will defy Cele's ban.

Steyn said it is "business as usual" and that there has been no direct communication with the company with regard to the licences on the Durban route. "We want to assure the public it's business as usual. Our legal team is trying to make contact with the MEC's office on this issue," he said.

He expressed condolences to the families of those who died in Tuesday's accident near Hibberdene, and said the company has hired a team of independent forensic experts to investigate.

 

[marine1]

Typical gvt, they shoot their mouths off but seem to have not even issues the ban to the company if the company is to be believed.

 

[stoke]

*unapplause*

 

[dlk001]

December 18 2008

Under-fire bus company SA Roadlink halted ticket sales at its Durban offices this morning despite Wednesday's "business as usual" response to the transport MEC's plan to ban them from KwaZulu-Natal roads.

Staff at the company's offices at Durban station said they would only sell tickets that could be redeemed for travel on Thursday.

When approached for comment on tickets not being sold for trips out of the city on Friday, SA Roadlink risk manager Herman Steyn said he was not aware of this development.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20081218112723309C593237

 

[daveza]

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2444079,00.html

Durban - The decision to ban SA Roadlink buses from the roads was justified in order to save lives, KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Bheki Cele said on Friday.

In an interview, Cele pulled no punches in his criticism of the national bus operator, which has a history of accidents in the province, with several of its buses being declared unroadworthy by provincial authorities over the past two years.

"They are just troublesome and everything about them stinks. Their owners' attitudes stink, their buses stink and their [compliance with] labour laws stink," he said.

Quite a lot of stinky stuff here.

 

[supersunbird]

Roadworthy buses blah blah blah... Its the damn drivers they hire and/or the demands they put them under.

 

[daveza]

Seems the court wants these buses to continue the mayhem -

http://www.eyewitness.co.za/story.aspx?id=2471

SA Roadlink wins court bid
Narissa Subramoney | 3 Minutes Ago
" We won case in court for us its business as usual"

Bus Company SA Roadlink says they have won their case after taking the KwaZulu Natal Transport MEC Bheki Cele to court to resume business.

They wanted to overturn his decision to withdraw the national bus operator’s license from midnight Friday.

Cele took the decision after a series of accidents involving the bus company.

Eleven people were killed in an accident near Port Shepstone on Tuesday.

The MEC said he was due to meet with the bus company on Friday, but was then informed that papers had been lodged in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

“So we then took the matter to court and we won case in court, for us its business as usual,” said SA Roadlink Spokesperson Sam Sidelis.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Has v little to do with that I reckon daveza...

They just can't let Cele take unilateral decisions as and when he feels like it.. Its not legal.

There are probably processes and procedures that need to be followed to revoke a companys license, and he just side stepped them ALL.

 

[Cyberdude]

OK, so let me share with you my little experience with these guys. Last year this time I was traveling to Capetown. I was cruising at around 130K/h and one of these yellow road link buses came from behind me at a seriously dangerous speed. I sure that must have been at least 140/150 because the bus overtook me real quick. There was oncoming traffic and the oncoming car had to reduce speed or it would have been head on.

Just an hour or so later the same thing happened, again one of these yellow monsters over tooking me at a scary speed. Now I don't know, but that is nothing more than gambling with peoples lives. I truly hope the same thing happens with them as Nationwide.

 

[Ou grote]

Has v little to do with that I reckon daveza...

They just can't let Cele take unilateral decisions as and when he feels like it.. Its not legal.

There are probably processes and procedures that need to be followed to revoke a companys license, and he just side stepped them ALL.

+1
Cele may be trying to score points and make himself famous.
He should the laws if he is "in charge".

 

[daveza]

Bureaucracy kills.

However, I would guess that these buses are going to get pulled over again and again to check road worthiness.

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Boodles]

There are probably processes and procedures that need to be followed to revoke a companys license, and he just side stepped them ALL.

I would expect this to be the case. lol

Also, what are the details of the 'series of accidents involving the bus company'. Has there been alot of them this year?

 

[daveza]

"Four killed in Eastern Cape bus crash" - Dec 17
"SA Roadlink in hot water after Hibberdene crash" - Dec 16
"Over 40 injured in KZN bus crash" - Dec 11.

That's just this month !

More info here - http://stopsaroadlink.blogspot.com/