Silver Cloud passengers caught up in shorex problem in East London

**Ally** · 01-19-2008, 12:16 PM

Quote:

DOZENS of international tourists were left stranded on Wednesday when two tour buses were impounded by the Buffalo City traffic
department, a move that raised suspicions that the department was making use of faulty equipment to do roadworthy tests.

The buses, run by Springbok Atlas and Mega Coach, were transporting the tourists when they were added to the traffic department�s list of buses that have been impounded for
apparently having brake defects.

The department�s action cut short the tourists� tour of the city, which was organised by tour operator Abercrombie and Kent.

About 50 elderly passengers from the Silver Cloud cruise liner, which docked in East London on Wednesday, were left disappointed when traffic officials rerouted the two tour buses to the traffic department in Braelynn.

The tourists were in East London for a few hours.

Yvette Odendaal, the chair of the Eastern Cape Tourist Guide Association, said they managed only to reach Frere Hospital�s maternity ward when the two buses were pulled off the road.

�When we got to the traffic department, traffic officials assured me the testing would take about 30 minutes,� said Odendaal.

She said there were no facilities at the department, and all the tourists had to stand in the building where the testing was being done.

After the tests, the group was informed that both buses apparently had brake defects, and one had a cracked window. The services of both were suspended.

Odendaal then organised for shuttles to pick up the stranded tourists and take them back to their ship.

�We were too afraid to let the shuttles come in (to the department�s premises), just in case the department impounded those too.�

An elderly lady hurt herself at the traffic department, where a crew was busy with renovations.

The woman fell and cut her cheek. One of the traffic officers rushed her back to the ship for medical treatment. �This is havoc. This has been a disaster,� said Odendaal.

Some of the tourists sent a letter to the owner of the cruise liner, saying �the incident was a complete farce�, and that East London should not be considered as a stop if such things occurred in the city.

They also complained that the traffic officers were �arrogant�.

Craig Drysdale, the national general manager of Springbok Atlas, described Wednesday�s incident as an �embarrassment�.

�This will have a ripple effect on Atlas and all bus companies, as well as the tourism industry,� he said.

Drysdale said an investigation would be carried out to determine where the problem lay at the traffic department, with regard to the testing of vehicles. �When the buses went back to our testing station, they passed. We have put very stringent safety measures in place.�

From Cape Town, the manager of Mega Coach, Gerhard van Heerden, said he would like to be provided with a calibration certificate from the traffic department. �The testing machinery needs to be calibrated regularly. It can�t work non-stop,� said Van Heerden.

He said Mega Coach adhered to a strict maintenance schedule, adding that most coaches were so advanced that their braking systems were self-regulating. He said this was the first Mega Coach vehicle to be suspended. �This will have an impact on tourism. It is unfortunate and embarrassing,� said Van Heerden.

Buffalo City Municipality spokesperson Ondela Mahlangu, however, denied that the machinery used for testing brakes was faulty, and said the equipment complied with the legal requirements and specifications.

�The suspension of buses should not have a negative impact on the city�s tourism, as they (tourists) are now aware that their safety, albeit road safety, is being looked after,� said Mahlangu.

Abercrombie and Kent, the tour operator, met with the overseas
operator of the cruise liner yesterday. The bus companies have been requested to submit reports on the condition of the buses.

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