20 December 2008: Roadlink to roll on

article from IOL

By Candice Bailey and Sapa

National bus operator SA Roadlink on Friday night obtained an interim court order in the Pietermaritzburg High Court preventing KwaZulu Natal transport MEC Bheki Cele from suspending its operating licence.

Judge Isaac Madondo said there was a possibility that SA Roadlink would suffer irreparable harm and Cele had not provided any evidence before the court that there would be more accidents.

Madondo's decision to lift the ban was opposed by the MEC.

Cele has to file replying papers by December 28 and both Roadlink and Cele's legal team will be back in court on January 8 to argue the matter.

Cele withdrew the company's operating permit pending the outcome of an investigation into Tuesday's crash, involving a Roadlink bus and two other vehicles, which claimed the lives of 11 people.

Earlier on Friday Cele told a press conference in Pietermaritzburg he was due to meet the management of the company when he was informed that it had lodged papers seeking an interdict. The meeting did not take place.

On Wednesday, Cele announced he was withdrawing the operator's licence and all its buses would have to stop operating in the province from midnight on Friday.

Cele said: "Roadlink has taken us to court. They are trying to nullify the decision we have taken."

Meanwhile, Roadlink's competitors want the company investigated by the National Department of Transport. The SA Bus Operators Association (Saboa) said the probe was necessary because of the bad image of the bus industry being created by Roadlink.

"They are damaging the image of the industry. People don't make a distinction between inter-city bus services and it's not good for business," said Saboa executive manager Eric Cornelius.

The operator is not one of the members of the association, which is a voluntary organisation.

Cornelius said the association was supporting government on the withdrawal of the operator's licences in KZN as they too, were very concerned about their accident rates in the past year or two.

"If you want to make money you need to make sure that you are able to operate a safe service."

Cornelius said. He added that in 2008 there would be changes in the licensing of vehicles, through the operations and technical accreditation system.

The system, which will come into effect through the National Land Transfer Bill currently in Parliament, will regulate the operations and maintenance systems of buses.