Passenger causes bus accident
This resulted in the driver losing control over the vehicle. It left the road and 25 passengers were injured when it crashed into a tree. The injured were rushed to Rob Ferreira Hospital.
MBOMBELA – The South African Passengers Organisation (SAPO) has lambasted the immoral behaviour of a woman passenger who allegedly grabbed the steering wheel of the bus she was travelling in.
This resulted in the driver losing control over the vehicle. It left the road and 25 passengers were injured when it crashed into a tree. The injured were rushed to Rob Ferreira Hospital.
The accident took place on Monday morning near the Tshwane University of Technology main campus while many passengers were fast asleep. The woman demanded that the driver should stop in the middle of nowhere as she had missed her stop. When he refused, she grappled with him and grabbed the steering.
The provincial chairperson of SAPO, Mr Veli Mathe said, “We condemn such behaviour, it’s unethical and it’s very disturbing that the accident was caused by a passenger.
“We are appealing to our passengers to cooperate with drivers. If they have problems, they must report it at Buscor’s offices. Don’t just do something that will cost people their lives.”
Mathe added that the organisation still had a long way to go regarding passengers’ rights and also appealed to them not to disturb drivers.
“Such incidents show that we need to do more because it’s clear that people are only concerned about their rights and are ignoring a good working relationship with their drivers.
”We will request the company to give us an opportunity to visit passengers in their buses, just to be close and personal with them and teach them about building a good line of communication with the drivers.
“We can’t fold our hands and do nothing while some passengers are getting out of hand and want to control drivers as they please,” he said.
The woman passenger is expected to appear in the local magistrate’s court. Police are investigating a charge of reckless and negligent driving and common assault against the suspect.
In one of our sister publications, the Buscor operational manager, Mr Patrick Malabane condemned the incident and was quoted as saying, “We will make sure that we follow the case and let the law take its course. We won’t allow one individual to endanger the lives of many others.”
