Times Of Swaziland: PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS DON’T VALUE CUSTOMERS

PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS DON’T VALUE CUSTOMERS
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The Editor on 22/04/2021 07:40:00


Sir,
It was with greatest dismay that I had to write this letter specifically
dedicated to the transport industry, especially those servicing the Nhlangano to
Manzini road and or the Nhlangano to Mbabane road. First and foremost, I
observed with utter disappointment the bad habits of transport operators during
busy holidays as they have a tendency of not valuing their regular customers, in
lieu of the rarely users of buses, who usually get first preference during those
busy times.
Holidays
By busy times and or holidays, I am referring to the opening of schools, Easter
holidays, etcetera. You know what happens during those holidays or days, they
say their first stop is at Mhlaleni, of which is never fair for me as a regular
customer who always or more often boards the bus as a resident of the stops from
Salem until to their so-called first stop which is Mhlaleni. I understand they
are in business, maybe for one day ‘huge’ money is a factor or is better
than 30 days E10? I might think it’s understandable, if they say, they don’t
go via Hlatsi because there are kombis also servicing that route, but what about
the preceding bus stops after Hlatsi, and even if so it is in one’s best
interest to choose the mode of transport that each person likes.
Humiliating
For example, some of us don’t board kombis because of so many reasons, one
would be the kind of luggage we carry. Some of the luggage cannot be loaded into
kombis for obvious reasons. It is very humiliating and embarrassing to be turned
back on grounds that I won’t be allowed to get off at Mhlaleni, even though I
always use that bus. So it is for those reasons that I appeal to the public
transport industry and those responsible for the smooth operation of that
sector.
Disrespecting
It’s never fair to maltreat customers and disrespecting your every day routes
on grounds that only on that particular day, there is a customer who is going to
pay E50 or E70 compared to the one who always pays E30 on a daily basis; it’s
wrong and unprofessional on their side! Let us all get into buses according to
the routes they service and according to the customers’ destinations. If a bus
is fully loaded it should leave for its destination not according to how much I
am going to pay on that day, finish!