Disappointed with Go-liner Bus Service

Columnists
EditorIn this festive season of Wiki-leaks, I think it is necessary to blow the whistle and alert the Zimbabwean public of the unethical practices of the Go-liner staff at Pretoria Bosman bus station.

Prior to purchasing a Go-liner ticket, it was my understanding that all service providers transporting people from Pretoria to Harare allow their passengers to board their buses with two bulky pieces of luggage free of charge- as long as the baggage does not exceed a certain weight (if I’m not mistaken, usually thirty kilograms).

Imagine my surprise when two Go-liner employees from Pretoria Bosman station named Fish and John, started to charge passengers for their luggage without using a scale. Instead, they would simply look at a person’s luggage, point and then scream out a number. Some passengers were charged up to R800 for their luggage- even some of us who were travelling with personal items only (books and clothes), were charged. To make matters worse, the Go-liner Supreme bus of 13 December 2010 cost R450, which it makes it the most expensive bus between Pretoria and Harare. Furthermore, the toilet didn’t work, and the DVD player didn’t function. So, if one has to pay R450 for a ticket and R800 for personal luggage the question then arises: what service does Go-liner provide that deserves such a fee? My suspicion is that Fish and John are somewhere out there spending my money.

My hope is that the Go-liner management will look into these shenanigans and address them expediently. After all, the Go-liner motto, as it appears on the passenger ticket reads: “excellence in motion.” Unfortunately, my experience tells me otherwise.

Tau Tawengwa     Harare