Yesterday on the 30/07/2024 I got off the gautrain and took the bus to mall of africa. The bus departed at 18:38. On the way to the mall a few someone kept pressing the button requesting a stop, eventually when we reached the stop at mall of africa I requested to get off but driver didn't stop I then approached the front and told him that I requested to stop and he said why was I busy pressing the stop button, I told him I only pressed when we got to my stop. To put it into context, firstly I am a regular gautrain user, I use the bus everytime I take the gautrain, I know how to stop the bus and when to press the button, secondly I had my earphones on and playing music I was not busy pressing the button unnecessarily, the fact he didnt have his facts right and assuming that I was the pressing the button just because I was now getting off speaks so much about how little he know about customer service. I ended up getting off two traffic lights away from my stop and had to walk all the way back, additionally my original stop has street lights, but where I got off there were no street lights meaning I was a woman walking alone in the dark trying to rush to get to safety. I have never been so angry, we live in a country where women are disappearing daily and yet gautrain bus drivers are refusing to stop at requested stop signs and dropping women off at dark far areas. He was not concerned at all that he didn't stop, he was not even apologetic about it making it seem like it was my fault. If the bus had cameras I would easily win this case because it would have shown that I was on my phone the entire time and only pressed the button when I approached my stop. Your drivers dont know how to trest customers let alone, they dont care about the safety of women. Such service is very disappointing especially for someone who is a regular user of the gautrain services.
Bus registration number: LH74SH
Recommendation: If you travel at night, rather take uber so you wont find yourself walking alone in the dark fearing for your safety
The fact that the driver assumed you were the one pressing the stop button unnecessarily and didn't stop at your requested stop is unacceptable. It’s clear there was a serious lapse in customer service and understanding of the situation. Having to walk back alone in the dark is not just inconvenient but also potentially dangerous, and it's troubling that the driver showed no concern or apologetic behavior.
Your safety should always be a priority, and it's deeply disappointing that the driver failed to consider that. I hope Gautrain takes your complaint seriously and addresses this issue promptly to ensure better training for their drivers and improve customer safety.
While this is troubling i have seen this issue near me where there is a fault [sensor bad or the trigger for the stop requested has been pulled so hard its locked open] somewhere in the system. when this happens it is normal for the passenger to alert the driver when their stop is coming up.
the driver though is NOT excused for his response. he should have apologized after you explained you didnt hit the stop button till your stop. then stopped at the next stop not 2 or 3 stops later [near me its like every block between stops]. let the customer service know of this incident with the time you were on it, direction, and if you have it the bus number. this will help them talk to the right driver.