A long-awaited breakthrough was made in the ongoing robberies on Golden Arrow buses, with at least 15 alleged perpetrators of bus robberies arrested over the weekend.
Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) general manager Derick Meyer said the arrests came after on-board technology – cameras and panic buttons – were installed on the buses following a spate of robberies.
Earlier this year, robberies peaked at six to seven per week on the buses, with drivers shot and commuters robbed at gunpoint.
Meyer said the breakthroughs were the result of intensive work from their side and from the police officials involved.
“They are also the result of the safety features ...
“The on-board camera systems fitted in collaboration with the provincial Department of Transport have been instrumental in these successes,” he told Cape Argus.
He assured passengers and employees that Golden Arrow would do everything possible to ensure arrests and successful convictions.
“Let this be a warning to anyone who considers targeting our operations – you will be caught,” he said.
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn welcomed the arrests and commended GABS for making sure that buses have been equipped with cameras and panic buttons.
Cosatu was one of the unions that have been vocal about the safety of commuters.
Transport and Public Works spokesperson, Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, said: “We are confident that the technology in the buses will dramatically decrease the amount of crime and violence within the transport industry.”
Cape Argus