Putco to resume operations on Friday following meeting with Gauteng govt

The Putco bus service will resume operations on Friday, following a meeting with Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for transport and logistics Kedibone Diale-Tlabela and senior executives of the bus company.

Commuters using Putco buses were left stranded on Thursday after the company announced on Wednesday afternoon that it would be suspending its services due to diesel shortages and non-payment by government.

“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,” spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said in a statement on Wednesday.

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“Putco is working closely with 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. Should the situation improve, stakeholders will be informed timeously.”

Gauteng province announced on Thursday that Putco would resume operations on Friday after Lesufi met with senior executives of the bus company to avert further service disruptions.

As a result, operations will resume in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika following the announcement, Putco managing director Franco Pisapia said the company would work on improving its communication.

“Communication needs to be done a bit better, but we’ve been engaging with the department for the last two weeks on this matter and only yesterday were we in a position to be able to make that announcement because we waited until the last minute to see if we could still continue to operate,” he told the channel.

“It was not possible and we had to issue that statement on Wednesday afternoon, which is late, we do understand that. We had no other option in the matter.”

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