Raven Benny, a wheelchair user for the last 24 years, has missed only one OCC to date. This was after he coincidentally happened to visit the Garden Route during the first race and was faced with closed streets and red flags as he entered town. Awed by the concept, Benny has been bringing groups of wheelchair users to the OCC ever since.
This year, he was intent on using the most affordable, available, safe public transport from KZN to George (using a long-distance bus service) and in and around George. He made email enquiries about the GO GEORGE ticketing system and where to buy cards before they embarked on their journey.
Putting public transport to the test
“It has been a predominantly rewarding experience to have been in a town that has a working accessible public transport system in place,” Benny said. “My friends and I used the past four days to really put accessible public transport to the test and were sadly dissatisfied and disappointed at times at the level of service received from the long-distance carrier.
“However, we are in awe of the efficiency of the GO GEORGE bus service. We appreciated it from the first trip on Friday morning. We had time for six trips in all directions and found it safe and easy to use, accessible to navigate independently and surprisingly affordable. The only time we felt let down, was when we could not top up our cards to load more rides at the recommended vendor. But this was resolved by doing it at the George Transport Hub with the support and guidance of the GO GEORGE Call Centre.
“All the other moments were fun and memorable, and the bus service allowed us to circulate independently throughout the town during our two-day stay. We disembarked from the long-distance bus at the George station and used only GO GEORGE buses for the next two days – to our accommodation, from there to the registration point, to the shops, and even when we forgot our meal tickets on the morning of the event, we sent one of our helpers to go fetch it using GO GEORGE. We have trips left on our cards and will definitely be back to use them!”
Ghana’s champ loves the minibus hoist
Participants from Ghana were equally impressed with the GO GEORGE service as they tested the hydraulic hoist on the GO GEORGE minibus exhibited at the OCC. Star marathon athlete and winner of the 42-km racing cycle category, Raphael Botsyo Nkegbe participated for the fifth time this year and says the OCC is a fixture on his calendar.
“Our club minibus in Ghana is also fitted with a hoist but seeing it on public transport in South Africa is awesome. I look forward to the day we can boast the same kind of universal accessibility on the public buses in my country too,” Nkegbe said.
Capetonians felt safe on the buses
Another regular group of visitors and participants in the 5-km event is the Mandla Sport 4 Change organisation from Cape Town of whom several members tested the minibus hoist. According to Chairperson Vanessa Baadjies, they felt safe to travel with GO GEORGE, having enough space to board in their wheelchairs and being able to strap into the wheelchair bay.
GO GEORGE participationEighteen members of the GO GEORGE communications team pulled out all the stops to support participants and visitors, manning an information gazebo next to the demonstration minibus and telling visitors more about the service and its focus on universal accessibility. As always, the mascot Georgie and communication champions were there to cheer on the participants and pose for photos with “fans”. This time, they also participated in the fun go-kart race, making the finish line exhausted but chuffed with themselves.
