TimesLIVE reports that eThekwini bus service provider Tansnat has launched urgent high court proceedings to compel the municipality to provide it with the 450 buses it needs to service the 150,000 passengers it transports daily.
Tansnat, owned by taxi boss Mandla Gcaba, claims the city is not complying with its contractual obligations — leaving passengers stranded and bus drivers sitting idle. It says if the situation is not resolved soon, it will be forced to retrench drivers “which will undoubtedly lead to a strike” and a complete shutdown of the service. The urgent application, which will go before the Durban High Court on Wednesday, is the latest in a string of litigation between the parties, which began in 2015 when the city attempted to liquidate Tansnat. Referring to the latest legal action, Tansnat COO Vikesh Maharaj said the company — which employs 1,200 people including 700 drivers — leases the buses from the city, which has to provide 450 buses plus a 10% reserve capacity. Seemingly, the maintenance contracts with original engine manufacturers have expired and instead of extending them, the city has embarked on a “cumbersome and time consuming procedure where quotes for each and every repair are first required and then the quotes are only approved after four weeks”. Maharaj claimed the city could hire replacement buses from other bus companies, but has failed to do so.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tania Broughton at TimesLIVE
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