Shutdown: Putco suspends bus services due to ATTACKS

EFF national shutdown forces Putco to temporarily suspend some of its bus services due to intimidation today, 20 March 2023.

SHUTDOWN FORCES PUTCO BUS SERVICES TO A HALT

“Our staff buses were the first to encounter blocked roads and intimidation from demonstrators taking part in the National Shutdown protest as they attempted to collect bus drivers aiming to report for duty in the early hours of Monday morning, 20 March 2023.

Some bus drivers had to seek protection by driving to police stations.

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Putco then reported that it temporarily suspended services due to the national shutdown.

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SHUTDOWN: HERE ARE THE INCIDENTS REGARDING PUTCO

• Soweto – Buses were stoned and damaged in the Braamfischer area. Passengers were forced to flee, and the bus was abandoned. The bus has since been recovered.
• Eldorado Park – Staff buses couldn’t access the Vaal areas for picking up drivers. As a result, buses from Nancefield depot couldn’t operate. Protestors stoned a bus belonging to a Putco subcontractor same area.
• Soshanguve – A bus was hijacked, the female driver was pushed out of the bus, and it was used to block a road in Dennilton. Police quickly recovered the bus, which was returned to the local depot. Protestors also demanded that buses be made available to transport them to their rally, and our security personnel acted swiftly and prevented them from entering the depot.
• Tshwane and Mpumalanga – Routes have been blocked and are unsafe to use, including the Moloto Road, which is the route between the two provinces of Gauteng and Mpumalanga. One staff bus from Mountain View had to take refuge at the KwaMhlanga police station.
• Ekangala – there were no passengers at most bus stops. The area is relatively peaceful, and police are patrolling the area.

Putco has logged these and many other incidents to the Command Centre established by the government.

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All Putco operations teams are on high alert and monitoring developments during the national shutdown.

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Putco will continue to suspend some of its bus operations due to the national shutdown until further notice.

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