WHO WE ARE: A SNAPSHOT
GABS is a subsidiary of Hosken Passenger Logistics & Rail (HPL&R), which was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in April 2018. Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), one of the country’s premier black empowerment companies, is the major and controlling shareholder of HPL&R.
Golden Arrow operates just over 1 000 buses during peak hours, serving more than 3 100 routes in metropolitan Cape Town, covering a total area of approximately 2 460 km². The fleet travels 61.5 million kilometres and conveys 60 million passengers annually at a rate of approximately 250 000 passengers per weekday (pre-COVID). That translates into enough daily kilometres to drive a bus 5.5 times around planet Earth!
Bus services are provided from depots at Montana, Woodstock, Atlantis, Philippi (2), Blackheath and Simon’s Town. The services from Atlantis are subcontracted to Sibanye Bus Services, originally established in 2001 as a joint venture between Golden Arrow and the emerging bus operators Abahlobo Transport Services and Siyakhula Bus Services.
GABS is also contracted as a vehicle operating company to MyCiTi along the Atlantic seaboard through its subsidiary Table Bay Rapid Transit (TBRT),
Golden Arrow employs approximately 2 223 people, while Sibanye has 66 employees and TBRT has 238 employees. More than half of these – drivers, inspectors, regulators, small business unit managers, and operations managers – are directly involved with the running of bus services. In addition, the company employs a large contingent of engineering staff – electricians, body builders, diesel mechanics, welders, workshop assistants, sign writers and painters. Management, administrative staff, stores personnel and security officials make up the rest of the staff complement.
Engineering teams at each depot maintain the fleet by means of regular, scheduled, preventative maintenance programmes and by running repairs, safety checks, painting, and cleaning the buses. In addition, the central engineering division is responsible for the major overhaul of engines, gearboxes, fuel-injector systems, road springs and other sub-assemblies as well as body and auto-electrical repairs.
Golden Arrow is currently the only scheduled passenger transport operator in the Cape metropole to have achieved the prestigious government and industry recognised Road Transport Management System (RTMS) accreditation. The fleet is also the single largest accredited commuter bus operator to date.
The Company’s training centre is an accredited institution which offers courses certified by TETA (the Transport Education Training Authority) and MerSETA (the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority). The TETA accredited National Certificate in Professional Driving is used to train new drivers and is also offered as an internal skills programme for which competent learners receive a certificate of completion. The accredited technical courses that are offered, are the National Certificates in Automotive Repair and Maintenance, which includes fitting and turning. Apprenticeship programmes include various trades such as vehicle body building, diesel mechanics, welding and automotive electrics.
One of Golden Arrow’s primary focus areas is road safety – it is prioritised from the moment a new driver starts training and continues throughout a driver’s career at Golden Arrow. It is a theme that is present throughout all structures, and this holistic approach ensures that everyone understands the importance of road safety and that passengers can be assured that their safety is our priority.
Golden Arrow’s corporate social investment is administered through the HCI Foundation, which promotes development and empowerment of resource-challenged communities across the country. The HCI Foundation, which was preceded by the erstwhile Golden Arrow Foundation, has committed significant funding to projects such as bursary schemes, early childhood development, heritage and the arts, environmental protection, and community-based transport programmes. As part of the HCI group’s consolidated scorecard, Golden Arrow is a level two B-BBEE accredited entity.