Passengers see red as Roadlink bus breaks down

ABOUT 40 people were left stranded when a SA Roadlink bus taking them from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg broke down outside Uitenhage at the weekend. Angry commuters yesterday torched the rubbish bin outside the SA Roadlink offices at Greenacres when staff refused to refund passengers. "All we want is our money back so that we can take another bus," numerous passengers shouted at Roadlink staff. "We want answers. Roadlink is useless!" Gerardus Heck, 43, who recently moved to Port Elizabeth, had to be in Pretoria this morning to commission the sale of his house. "The bus was meant to arrive at 5pm on Saturday. It eventually arrived at 9pm and we left at 10pm. "We then got to Uitenhage on the N2 when the driver pulled off the road and said that he was not going to drive further," he said. "The driver said that the bus's air breaks had stopped working and he refused to drive further as it placed everyone in danger. "He then drove us back to the Roadlink offices, where we have been waiting," he said. Heck said staff claimed a bus would be back at Roadlink at 5pm yesterday to drive everyone to Johannesburg. "And now they tell us no bus is coming," he said. Dirk Schoeman, 62, who was waiting to see his daughter, Estelle, 23, off to Johannesburg said he was frustrated at the bad service. "My daughter might lose her job because these people can't get her to their end destination. We want a refund and get told no. No one can give us answers so what can we do?" By 6pm the police were called to calm angry commuters down. SA Roadlink spokesman Nolin Padayachee could not be reached for comment by the time of going to print.