Bus industry calls for end to violence

A LONG-DISTANCE coach company has called for urgent intervention to stop violence directed at the industry after more than 150 violent incidents were recorded in just 13 months.

Intercape has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government to urgently intervene to stop the violence directed at the industry, allegedly by rogue taxi associations.

“In the space of just 13 months, there have been more than 150 recorded violent incidents, a number of which have led to serious injuries to employees and passengers of the bus operators in the long-distance coach industry,” the company said.

Intercape said the attacks were mainly centred on key towns and routes in the Eastern Cape but has also seen attacks in the Cape Metropole and Gauteng.

The call came after three more Intercape buses came under attack, all in Gauteng, on April 28 and 29, which left two people injured.

Last Thursday night at 7.20pm, an Intercape bus en route from Pretoria to Mthatha was shot at from an unknown sedan vehicle on the M2 highway in Johannesburg.

According to the company, three shots were fired into the driver’s side of the coach, with the final shot narrowly missing the driver. The passengers were transferred to another coach to continue their journey and a case was registered at the Jeppe police station.

On Friday night at 7.40pm, another bus en route to Mthatha came under attack as it was approaching the Geldenhuys Interchange from the M2 to join the N3 Highway. Intercape said video footage from the bus showed a gunman on the bridge.