Metrobus commuters protest outside the Metrobus offices in Gandhi Square, Joburg, on Monday against a new payment system that will take effect from Tuesday. (Photo: Bheki Simelane) 
Commuters interviewed by Daily Maverick voiced their unhappiness with Johannesburg Metrobus’ new tap-in, tap-out payment system, which charges per kilometre travelled.
Maria Muhluba (51) from Malvern said she would not be able to afford the new system: “We are charged per kilometre, which is very expensive compared to the old system,” she said.
Another commuter, who identified themself as Nomthandazo from Regents Park, said: “I work in Fourways [and travel] from Regents Park to Fourways, and when you look at what we will be paying, it costs even more than taxis. They are charging us R32.90 from here in Gandhi Square to Fourways, and the taxis charge us R22. It’s so unfair.”
Catherine Mncube said, “From here to Sandringham, where I am working, a taxi is R18, but the bus is R18.70. From here to Malvern, Metrobus will charge R18.70 and taxis cost R16, so it is unaffordable.”
Another complaint was that Metrobus’ newer vehicles were not designed to accommodate disabled people. “The buses which they are introducing are so high, even to us who are not using wheelchairs,’’ said Muhluba.
Bus cancellations
Commuters complained that buses were randomly cancelled.
“We no longer have the 3pm bus because it was also cancelled. But it gets worse, because the 4.30pm bus was also cancelled. The next bus arrives only at 5pm. Schoolchildren knock off at around 2.30 to 3pm, but they get home after dark because they have to wait for the 5pm bus,” said Muhluba.
Commuters said the cancellations had led to drivers being scapegoated for overloading their buses.
“Drivers have to account for overloading and face dismissal,” said Mncube. The commuters said that when they confronted Metrobus about these issues, they were told, “The bus is coming.”
“They do not care whether you are getting a warning at work or not. They do not care whether we are going to work or not,” said Nomthandazo.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_20250630_085408.jpg "A commuter vents her displeasure at Metrobus' new payment system during a protest outside Metrobus' offices in Gandhi Square on Monday. (Photo: Bheki Simelane)")
‘Retain the old system’
“The alternative [to the new system] is to retain the old system. We do not want the new system. We want the old system to stay because it is affordable,” said Mncube.
In the old system, once a commuter tagged in, they were able to transfer trips, which they say was affordable. “But this new system has no transfer,” said Muhluba.
Getrude Makhubo (73) from Yeoville said, “My biggest problem as a pensioner is that the kilometres that they are charging us are expensive. And there are also penalties and no transfer. We want the transfer because as elderly people we cannot walk.”
A Metrobus driver, who asked not to be named, said he backed the commuters’ concerns.
“At the centre of why this bus company is operating should be how it treats all its commuters and drivers. There is a feeling that the company long stopped caring, but I still believe they can get better,” he said.
In response to the commuters’ gripes about transfers, Metrobus spokesperson Tshepo Nathan said the issue was really about getting free rides.
“For example, a commuter would pay to move from Naturena to our hub at Gandhi Square. They would then transfer to Pretoria without paying,” he said.
Metrobus said it was going ahead with the implementation of the new system: “What you saw this morning [Monday] was a very small fraction of our commuters. A number of our commuters are registering for the new system because they understand what it means for our future as a company.”
Nathan denied that drivers were scapegoated when their buses were overloaded due to cancellations.
He said most of the buses were reaching the end of their lifespans and money had not always been available to repair the ageing fleet.
“We have a lot of out-of-commission buses and we get a lot of breakdowns. Our fleet availability has not sufficiently met our operational requirements,” said Nathan.
“We have now bought 34 additional buses.”
Nathan said the new buses would be delivered in tranches, and that by the end of January 2026, all 34 would be operational.
“On top of that, we have also leased some of our buses. All in all, we will add 49 buses to our fleet and hope that it will meet our commuters’ needs,” said Nathan. DM