Cape Town – After another harrowing ordeal where Golden Arrow bus commuters were robbed at gunpoint while travelling between Mitchells Plain and Tygervalley, the company revealed it was in talks to launch a protection service similar to the rail enforcement unit.

Golden Arrow Bus Services (Gabs) spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said they were extremely concerned that their buses appeared to have become targets for criminals. She said the safety of their passengers and staff had always been their priority.

“Previous undercover operations have yielded some success and we have company officials and security vehicles moving between points, but the size of our operation, the fact that we operate in an open system and the number of trips a day pose significant challenges.

“We’ve been assessing the viability of cameras, panic buttons, security guards on our buses, but have been advised not to share any specifics in this regard,” Dyke-Beyer said.

She said they were not assigned specialised law enforcement like Metrorail and MyCiTi, because they were a public service contracted to government. However, they had approached Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith to see how the railway police model or “something similar” could potentially be applied to their services – “we are very hopeful that something positive will come from this”, Dyke-Beyer said.

“Crime is a societal problem and we believe the only way to fix it is visible policing, and a greater success rate in apprehending perpetrators and ensuring that the criminal justice system works as it should.

“The police therefore have our full co-operation and we will continue to assist them in any way we can.”

She said they were still offering a R50 000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of those responsible for their service robbery.

Smith confirmed that the bus service had contacted the City seeking assistance in dealing with crime on their buses. He said they had met with Gabs four weeks ago.

“Gabs want 20 officers and we are finalising the agreement which should be in place by the end of June.”

In the meantime, Smith said, they were assisting with interim staff, “not because we are legally obligated, but because we feel it is important to safeguard public transport”.

In the latest incident criminals pretended to be passengers between Philippi and Bellville.

Cathlin Williams, a passenger, took to social media, saying: “When the bus reached the R300 upturn from Stock Road, one of the men just ran to the driver, gun pointed at him, telling him to stop the bus.”

She said she was slapped in the face for “crying too much”. The suspects made off with stolen items, including Williams’s iPhone, when she realised she could have it tracked.

Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said the case of robbery with a firearm was opened, but no arrests had been made.

Source: IOL – Sisonke Mlamla