OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR GAUTRAIN ON FIRST DAY OF OPERATIONS

Posted on Jun 8, 2010 in Media Releases

The Bombela Concession Company has today thanked the public, particularly Gauteng residents for their unwavering support on the first day of Gautrain’s operations. Bombela CEO, Jerome Govender said that the service operated generally smoothly with the trains operating at 96.7% punctuality and 100% availability.

The first trains departed Sandton Station on time at 05:24, and the OR Tambo International Airport on time at 05:30. Trains during the first hour of operations (05:30 – 06:30) of the Airport Service were full, carrying approximately 1 000 passengers during this period. All 38 buses ferrying passengers to and from the stations also ran according to schedule. No safety or security incidents have been reported. Commuters are encouraged to use the Gautrain bus service which operates in surrounding areas that are up to 15 kilometer radius of the stations.

Govender acknowledged that while the train and bus services went smoothly, there were intermittent delays with the automatic fare collection system – particularly credit card connections. There have also been some electronic issues at parking gates. “We are aware of these issues and sincerely regret any inconvenience caused. We thank Gautrain passengers for their patience as we work through our first few days of operation. Customers are requested to approach the customer service agents at each station for assistance with any issues. These agents are all in uniform, wearing high visibility vests” he said.

For further information and feedback, members of the public are encouraged to visit the Gautrain website on www.gautrain.co.za. The Gautrain Customer Contact Centre is available on 0800 GAUTRAIN (428 87246).

No cash is accepted on the Gautrain trains, buses or at the parking exit gates. Commuters should access all services by means of a contactless smart card – the Gautrain Gold Card. The Gautrain Gold Card allows seamless transfer between Gautrain’s train, bus and parking services. Gautrain Gold Cards are available at a once-off cost of R10 from ticket offices and ticket vending machines at all stations as well as at selected retailers. Value can then be loaded onto the cards on an as-required basis and the cards can be re-used over and over again to pay for Gautrain services. Passengers also have the opportunity of registering their Gautrain Gold Cards at a ticket office which will enable the blacklisting of a card should it be lost or stolen. Un-used value on the card can then be transferred to a new card.

The train and bus services operate from Monday to Sunday between 05:30 to 20:30. Trains and buses are available every 12 minutes during peak times (05:30 to 08:30 and 16:00 to 19:00), and every 20 minutes during off-peak times. On weekends the train service is available every 30 minutes.