Johannesburg – Putco buses will not be running from Thursday morning because the company has no diesel.
“Putco regrets to inform passengers that the company will not be able to carry out its bus service from 4 May 2023 until further notice due to diesel shortages,” said Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu.
He explained that the disruption of the service was a result of unpaid March subsidy claims by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.
“Putco is working closely with the government to ensure that payments are processed as soon as possible to avoid a prolonged service disruption as well as inconvenience to our valued passengers,”
said Xulu.
“Should the situation improve, stakeholders will be informed timeously.”
Xulu said the underfunding of the bus public transport industry, as well as the excessive fuel increases in the past few months, have exacerbated the situation.
“In addition, the relief that the bus industry requested has not been granted, leaving bus operators in a very difficult situation,” Xulu said.
Responding to Putco’s plight, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport said payments would be made by Monday.
“Delays in processing subsidised bus operators’ payments for the month of March 2023 are as a result of a widely-known procedure and trend,” explained the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.
The department said it “wishes to confirm that payments to Putco Bus Company for the portion of March has been captured and will reflect on the bus operators’ bank account by Monday, 8 May 2023 due to transactions from different bank accounts which takes about three days”.
The department said its primary interest was to ensure the service was available to avoid huge inconveniences to passengers.
“To this end, the department is working with the bus company to find a solution to ensure minimal, if any, service disruption and inconvenience to our valued clients, the passengers.”
