Take care of your people first.

When Rea Vaya decided to re-route their normal service to transport the Soccer World Cup fans I fumed and argued that one need to take care of its citizens first. I did not know that Rea Vaya was not the only one until I saw this report below today on The Sowetan. For those who do not know where the westrand is, you may see the area here;

Still no train rides

TRAIN commuters on the West Rand have lost hope that the rail service in the region – suspended a month ago – will be back on track any time soon.

The service was suspended last month after angry commuters set alight two coaches in protest against “poor delivery”.

Metrorail said yesterday that the reintroduction of the train service was still a subject of discussion, more that a month after the arson attack took place.

Frustrated commuters had vented their anger against Wits Metrorail by burning the coaches at the Randfontein station because of the alleged bad service provided.

They accused Metrorail of neglecting them during the World Cup – by rerouting some of their trains to transport soccer fans.

Metrorail acting senior regional communications manager for Gauteng Tu Dlamini could not say when trains – the cheapest mode of public transport for many – will be back on track to provide transport.

“There are continuous engagements between Metrorail and the communities through recognised structures on the matter – once a final decision is taken the public will be informed of the decision,” Dlamini said.

Gauteng Commuter Organisation chairperson Thabang Makhetha said frustrated commuters had burnt the coaches because they were consistently arriving late at work.

“Metrorail has showed no respect for West Rand commuters.

“They said there was no huge demand in the area because it was less industrial. They cut the number of trains to transport soccer fans.”