Metrorail's new shock

I haven’t penned anything about Metrorail for a few weeks now... Feels like months!
I have been engaging with Metrorail Western Cape on a daily basis though and had a visit to the regional manager, wait former regional manager Mthura Swartz, twice already. An announcement on Friday 30 May is forcing me to write this though.

I should start with the announcement has nothing to do with Swartz leaving Cape Metrorail. He was one of the best regional managers the parastatal has had in the past few years and acknowledges the importance of communication and also engaged with commuters. This is a legacy that I personally hope his successor, Richard Walker, will continue. Apparently I’m meeting him once he’s here, because I’m Metrorail’s biggest critic. I’ve vowed to teach him how to communicate with commuters and tweet.

Anyway……

In March, after a third train derailed that caused a massive headache for Metrorail with massive delays, leaving thousands of commuters frustrated, I wrote four blogs. In one of those blogs I said the harsh reality is that ticket prices will increase in July and that is unfortunately the case. Train fare increases

As a commuter I cannot, nor will I ever support the increase of ticket fares, while trains are delayed on a daily basis.

Having visited Metrorail and engaging with the outgoing RM and other senior staff, I understand the dilemma Metrorail Western Cape is in and also, that they have to generate an additional income to deliver a credible service.

It is also important that commuters take note it is not Metrorail Western Cape who decided on the increases, but Prasa. To tell me new trains will be operational by the first semester of 2016 and that all lines in Cape Town will have free wi-fi are not making things better.

I cannot blame Metrorail Western Cape for the increases but I do wonder what happened to the increases the past few years? They were not used for the recently announced emergency interventions to better the service.

How and did the current management explain to the Prasa executive the current situation in the Western Cape and that not increasing fares this year would be a better/safer bet?

I have also not yet received an answer from Metrorail/Prasa Management if they would decline a salary increase this year until all the constant delays were sorted out!

What is the answer? Well besides the minister’s urgent intervention to ensure commuters benefit and not Prasa from the delays? It would be best if Prasa revise their decision to increase fares and keep it the same for atleast another year.

Since March: Metrorail staff were held hostage, frustrated commuters stormed the offices more than once, more than one train have been torched; stoned and staff assaulted (some even ended in hospital). If the minister and Prasa really cared about both staff and the commuter it is these factors that would make them call an emergency meeting to revise the decision increase ticket tariffs. Guess their response is what they think of staff and commuters