The GO GEORGE bus service is appealing to passengers to keep the exact amount of money handy should they want to buy a ticket on the bus. Passengers boarding a bus with large notes like R50, R100 or even R200 to buy a R12 ticket are creating a huge challenge for the smooth operation of the system.
After the annual increase implemented on 1 July, the single ticket bought off-bus at vendors costs R10, and the multi-journey ticket (MJT) with 10 trips costs R90, offering the cheapest ride at R9 per trip. The single ticket bought on the bus was increased to R12, specifically to encourage passengers to rather buy their tickets before they board.
“Notifications inside the buses and regular communication about this topic accentuates the importance of this issue for the effective management of the system,” said James Robb, GO GEORGE Manager.
“There are two reasons why we request passengers to keep the exact amount handy. Due to the security risk involved, we do not let our drivers drive around with large amounts of cash, so when someone offers a large note, the driver’s cash float can be depleted very early in their shift. Secondly, it takes a lot of time to hand out change to 40 or 60 passengers while a long queue is waiting to board, a situation that causes delays to the schedule.
“Passengers are therefore strongly encouraged to buy their tickets at registered vendor shops and mobile vendors before they get on the bus, or alternatively, to at least keep the exact amount of money – R12 – ready when they buy on the bus,” Robb said.
For an updated list of registered ticket vendors, passengers may visit the website, www.gogeorge.org.za, send an email to info@gogeorge.org.za, or phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre on 0800 044 044.