Yet another Golden Arrow bus was robbed en route to Belville from Mitchells Plain Town Centre yesterday. According to Golden Arrows Bus Services (GABS) spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer passengers on the bus were threatened with weapons by the assailants.
“According to witnesses, four men boarded the bus as fare-paying passengers. During the trip they all got out of their seats, brandished weapons and robbed the passengers and driver,” she said, speaking to IOL.
The bus driver reportedly stopped at the nearest police station along the route after the incident where he and the passengers were interviewed. The bus was then processed for forensic evidence.
“We are extremely concerned that our buses appear to have become a target for criminals. The safety of our passengers and staff has always been our priority and we are deeply saddened that crime has spilled over to our buses,” Dyke-Beyer said. “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 per day pose significant challenges.”
GABS is now looking into whether it would be viable to install cameras, panic buttons and security aboard its buses to ensure the safety of its passengers.
“Golden Arrow is a public service contracted to government, but we are not assigned specialised law enforcement like Metrorail and MyCiTi,” she said. “Crime is a societal problem and we believe that the only way to fix the problem is visible policing and a greater success rate in apprehending perpetrators and ensuring that the criminal justice system works as it should.”
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