Golden Arrow commuters to pay more for cash trips

By Palesa Matlala

• Golden Arrow will raise mainly off-peak cash fares by an average of 4.5% from 28 September while protecting most peak cash fares.

• Gold Card multi-journey ticket prices will not increase, with Golden Arrow encouraging regular commuters to buy rides in advance to save money.

Cape Town commuters who pay cash for Golden Arrow buses will have to dig deeper into their pockets from 28 September.

Golden Arrow Bus Service has announced an average 4.5% increase on selected cash fares.

But the increase will not hit every passenger.

The company says its Gold Card multi-journey tickets will remain at their current prices, while most peak cash fares will also be protected from the increase.

Golden Arrow spokesperson Bronwen Dyk-Beyer said the increases would mainly affect passengers paying cash during off-peak hours.

“The fare adjustment will apply primarily to off-peak cash fares, those are cash fares mainly paid on the bus between 8am and 4pm daily, with increases only affecting selected peak cash fares,” she said.

“There will be no increase to any Gold Card multi-journey tickets, ensuring that passengers who purchase their rides up front continue to pay the same fares.”

The company said it had chosen to target certain cash fares rather than increase prices across the board.

This was done to reduce the impact on commuters who depend on buses to travel to work, school and other daily commitments.

Golden Arrow general manager Derrick Meyer said rising operating costs had put pressure on the bus company.

“The adjustment comes after sustained increases in the cost of operating bus services, including fuel, maintenance, parts, tyres and labour,” Meyer said.

He said Golden Arrow had absorbed a large part of those higher costs before deciding to adjust fares.

“GABS has absorbed a significant portion of these increases and opted for a targeted fare adjustment rather than applying increases across all fares.”

Regular commuters are being encouraged to consider multi-journey tickets instead of paying cash for every trip.

Golden Arrow says these tickets can offer discounts of up to 45%.

The tickets are loaded onto a reusable Golden Arrow Gold Card, which costs R40 once off.

One option is the Easy ticket, which can be used on almost all Golden Arrow routes.

It costs R134 for five rides and R248.50 for 10 rides.

A 48-ride Easy ticket costs R1,093.

For passengers who use buses every day, keeping the multi-journey prices unchanged could provide some protection from the latest increase.

But commuters who normally pay cash during quieter parts of the day are likely to feel the impact from 28 September.

The company said the fare changes were necessary because of the continued pressure from fuel, maintenance, tyres, parts and labour costs.

Golden Arrow has deliberately kept most peak cash fares unchanged because those trips are heavily used by people travelling to and from work and school.

For commuters trying to keep their transport bills down, the message from Golden Arrow is clear: paying for several journeys in advance could work out cheaper than paying cash on the bus.

Pictured above: A Golden Arrow bus in Cape Town.

Image source: Golden Arrow Bus Service.