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| Gautrain Bus |
A month ago I found myself in a
predicament, as I was entering the Gau-bus from Monte Casino heading to Sandton,
the machine let out a buzzing noise… insufficient funds it read. My heart sank, not because I had insufficient
funds but because I knew that this meant I was not going to be allowed in the
bus, therefore delaying my arrival to my destination. Secondly
it meant for my sins spending a whole R100 on a new card at Sins! A supposed convenience store that enjoys the
comfort of being the only store that sells Gautrain cards but cannot allow you
to recharge your Gautrain card.
I found myself asking why in
heavens name we do not have the same easy to use, reloading Gau- Machines that
you find at the Gautrain stations at Monte Casino and Brightwater Commons. Why? Surely if the bus driver cannot take
money, then you would make sure that your customer's travel experience is not
disrupted by moments such as these where they are left stranded because they are
missing R2 for the fare. Travel
anywhere else in the world where they have systems like this and you will find
that at there are reloading stations in places where people are most likely to
realise that they have not recharged.
Gau-bus is convenient until you
have not recharged, I have had fellow travellers stranded for a while at
Brightwater commons because they did not recharge, imagine being a tourist and
being stuck with no alternative. This also places the bus drivers in a predicament, if he wanted to assist you by law he cannot allow you into the bus without paying your fare because other people will assume that he is offering preferential treatment. You also cannot really ask you fellow commuters for assistance without looking like a social pest. Gautrain does most things very well, like instilling the law and running the train but they definitely have not thought out the Monte Casino and Brightwater Commons reloading stations. Its little things like this that can make jo’burg a undesirable
destination for those who are used to efficient travel. as a traveler I want to move around with ease, not to be roadblocked by the system.
It’s something that really needs
to be addressed, these reloading machines take up as much space as an ATM therefore I cannot understand why they do
not already have these reloading machines installed.
If security is the issue then install one that uses no cash just
debit/credit cards. Lets think outside the box and solve the problem. Searching on the web I discovered that Gautrain customer care service is renowned for dropping the phone on their clients ears I'm hoping this will not be the case as my only request to
Gautrain is to please run this service to suit the convenience of your
customers. Give us Gautrain reloading machines at Brightwater Commons and Monte Casino.
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| This Gentle Brother saved my bacon on that fateful day, he paid my fare. |
Totally agree, this loading system is just not convenient at all. I've been in the same situation a few times. I finally found a way to deal with the driver, but they do not always accept us to pay them directly (obviously, as It's not legal), therefore It really puts them in an unconfortable situation. A bad service access is bad for the image of the company, which should focus on how making things easier for costumers. And costumers are mostly workers and travellers, people who don't always have the right information on time, or who do not have time enought, the day before, to reload their Gautrain cart!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jorge I totally agree what where u using it for? Work or Travel?
ReplyDeleteI was travelling! Most of the people using It seemed South African and going from/to work, but you could see many other visitors using It every day, as there are hotels in Sandton and in other suburbs, and they need It to join the subway station.
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