When convenience becomes an inconvenience

Gautrain Bus

Gaubus for people on the move …or not.

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.

This Gentle Brother saved my bacon on that fateful day, he paid my fare. 

A Sunsational Durban

en route to the airport for a sunsational holiday.

Seated at my dining room table I ran through the things I needed to make sure I had in my bag as this 6 day trip to Kwa Zulu Natal was going to be a whirlwind of adventure.  As I ran through my mental checklist, I realized that I was beginning to run out of time, my flight was at 12:05pm and at  9:30am  I was still trying to decide on whether I should take a laptop with me or not?  I resorted to no laptop, just a notebook and my phone, a mini technology detox after all I’m supposed to be going on Holiday!

Arriving at the Gautrain station I realized I had missed the 10:30am train, nothing like a bit of adrenalin to get the heart going. Reaching ORT I made a mad dash to my check-in counter breathing a sigh of relief as I arrived within minutes of boarding. Sweet Haleluyah! I certainly was not the only one running late a young family of 3 checked-in at the counter next to me also on their way to Durban.  As I waited for my boarding pass I saw this kid staring at me, eventually he couldn’t contain himself anymore and burst out much to his father’s embarrassment “Are you not scared of flying?”   I smiled at him reminiscing about my maiden flight to Cape Town at age of 9, with my mother and sister. “No I’m not scared” I smiled “I promise you it’s not that bad in fact it can be a lot of fun!”  I was excited for the kid! It’s so wonderful doing something for the first time and his parents were missing out on the moment by being so self-conscious of their child’s anticipation, when life offers you the opportunity to experience something for the first time through a child’s eyes share in the joy.  

I bid the young man well and took my boarding pass making another mad dash to the boarding gate not wanting to be the last passenger in.  As I handed my proof of identification (ID) and ticket over I was told that my driver’s license  that I had taken with me as ID had expired and that I would not be allowed to board by this Amazonian woman,  who stood towering over me holding my fate in her hands.  This was after I had smiled and given her a happy hello, whilst everyone boarded the plane I stood watching the people file through.  I could not for the life of me understand why she would say I cannot use my expired license to board the plane, it’s not like I was the pilot flying us to Durban! Counting to 10, I finally said “look I didn’t know about these new rules and anyways if you look at the picture you will see that the only thing that is expired is the card, now can I please board the plane or will you give me my ticket fare back since your check-in people failed to pick up this mistake?” Well there was no arguing with that she promptly told me that next time they would not allow me to fly with them as she handed over my ticket and expired license with the fakest smile she could muster.

Once I was settled in my seat, I took in the sounds: there were friends laughing, a baby gurgling, I turned to the guy next to me as he greeted me, after a quick chat I knew that it would be a warm weekend and how long he was going to be in Durban for.  This type of Friendliness is what sets Durbanites apart from other South Africans; they are really warm, friendly people who will happily share half their life with you.  

Feeling somewhat dizzy as I stepped out of the plane.

Within 50 minutes we were landing in Durban, it was this landing that unsettled me a bit as I walked out I felt like I had been shaken like a martini! I was thankful for the moment at the conveyor belt to pull myself together.  Looking across I noticed the young family waiting for their bags as well, the parents looked even more stressed than when I first encountered them, the son reached out to grab his bag and instead landed up bumping into another passenger much to his father’s irritation. I silently hoped that they would not be driving themselves around as I could not see this man enjoying his holiday, let alone being a pleasure to be around for his family.  In cases where people are so high-strung it’s often best that they opt for someone a registered chauffeur/Tour guide to drive them around therefore allowing them to relax.   Holidays are meant to be fun, exciting and an opportunity to kick back and not worry about a thing! With my bag in hand I made my way to the exit looking for my name board ready to test if Durban is the warmest place to spend summer and If I would enjoy being chauffer driven as I particularly like being in control of my trip. 

Professionalism at its best! This man understands the meaning of the word Hospitality.  Once I was welcomed by Logan my bag was whisked away and it was no longer my problem.  A promising start!