NARENDH GANESH
THE HORRIFIC murder of a bus driver, who was shot during a robbery of his bus by callous murderers has evoked a lot of emotion and unwarranted attacks on the bus owners.
This senseless killing, like countless others, has become endemic in South Africa.
The Newlands bus owners (a group in existence since 1920) have provided critical and valuable service to commuters over many decades.
Unlike other transport vendors in the municipality, they receive no subsidy or assistance whatsoever from the authorities or government, and have borne escalating costs while keeping fares at very affordable rates.
This cuts into their bottom line as a business, and often times they hardly even break even while persevering to ensure that commuters are not prejudiced for their daily commute.
With fuel and maintenance costs on the rise, they now have to embark on personal security for their buses, a massive and uncalled for expenditure but in the interests of their passengers safety, it has become a "necessary evil".
I believe it is unfair and uncalled for attacks on the Newlands bus owners, claiming that they are trying to “save pennies” when the truth is that they are investing their last pennies to keep their businesses afloat while providing transport to the poor in the main.
The plight of a historical institution, the Newlands bus owners, has been exacerbated by rising crime and they have become sitting ducks for callous murderers and thieves, with little or no assistance from the authorities.
Let us not throw stones while living in glass houses.
Daily News