The Chairperson of the Tonota Sub District Council, Botho Ntirang, has expressed displeasure over the Tonota Bus Rank saying that it is not benefiting the residents of Tonota Village as it is idle and is not being utilized.
Speaking to the Telegraph in an interview, Ntirang said that the bus rank is costing the council at least P5 000 for maintenance every month and yet it is not serving its purpose.
“The painful issue is that the bus rank, which was established to benefit the people of Tonota, is not being used,” said Ntirang. “Transport operators are refusing to use the bus rank therefore the structure has turned into a white elephant.”
Ntirang expressed concern over the Transport Department saying that it is not playing an active role in making sure that the transport operators utilize the bus rank and stick to the transport regulations. He said that several efforts to discuss the issue with the transport department have not borne any fruit.
“We held several meetings with the Transport Department about the bus rank but nothing seems to be working,” he said.
Reached for comment, the Principal Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Amos Motshegwe, admitted that there are problems with the Bus Rank but could only reveal that the Ministry is currently looking at how to resolve the situation.
“We are aware of the Tonota Bus Rank issue; for now, I cannot comment as the Ministry is currently working around the clock to resolve the situation,” he said.
The Tonota Bus Rank which was handed over to the Tonota Sub Council in March 2010 has not been utilised owing to a brawl between the taxi and bus operators over customers.
The tension between the two has been blamed on unfair practices by some bus operators who pick up passengers in the village, competing with the taxi operators rather than waiting for passengers at the bus rank.
