GEORGE NEWS - Wednesday 8 April erupted into a morning of chaos for Go George commuters due to a technical glitch preventing them from topping up online.
This was caused by Standard Bank experiencing connectivity issues with top-up vendors.
In a Facebook post, Go George apologised to commuters and referred them to fixed kiosks at the Garden Route Mall, Blanco Triangle and Thembalethu, as well as mobile kiosks stationed at Jonga Circle in Thembalethu, Cheapfoods on Nelson Mandela Boulevard and the Transport Hub in Cradock Street.
While this measure provided an alternative for most commuters, Pacaltsdorp residents had to travel extensively, many on foot, to reach the nearest kiosk.
"People had to walk to town to top up as we could not top up at any of the shops. The bus drivers, who were not aware of the situation early that morning, did not allow us to board the bus to get to town. With no alternative commuter transport available and no mobile kiosks nearby, many people turned around and went back home. We did receive a message at about 20:00 the previous night, but there was no easy way for Pacaltsdorp residents to reach the nearest kiosk. Even those who made it there stood in queues for hours trying to buy a ticket," said an Andersonville resident who spoke to George Herald. "We understand that it was not their fault, and later that afternoon, the bus drivers did give us a free lift to the nearest kiosk, but it caused a lot of disruption. We hope it will not happen again."
In a recent Facebook post, Go George offered one free trip for commuters whose cards did not scan, and invited them to take their cards to the nearest kiosk to test or replace them.
Response from the municipality
In response to the paper's media enquiry, municipal spokesperson Chantèl Edwards said the unexpected offline issue on 8 April impacted Go George passengers across town, for which the municipality apologised.
Go George smart cards are issued by Standard Bank, the facilitating bank partner responsible for the functioning of the automated fare collection system.
Their IT teams worked through the night to identify and resolve the connectivity problem.
Edwards explained that Go George has two mobile vehicles to support the vendor network in areas where demand is not sufficiently serviced. One of these vehicles is normally deployed in the Pacaltsdorp area, while the other operates in Thembalethu and at the entrance to Parkdene, where there are fewer top-up vendors than in Pacaltsdorp.
During the current renovation of the Transport Hub in Cradock Street, the permanent smart card kiosk had to be closed, and the mobile kiosk usually operating in Pacaltsdorp was moved to this high-demand area.
As a result, no mobile kiosk was available to be deployed in Pacaltsdorp on the day of the incident. Passengers were alerted and updated about the issue from early on via the Go George Facebook page and WhatsApp channel, and available top-up locations were listed.
Go George continuously reminds its passengers to keep at least two trips on their cards for emergencies such as these, meaning they should top up in advance where possible.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
