Johannesburg's Rea Vaya bus company has a delicate relationship with the taxi industry in a strategic partnership often marred by underlying tensions.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min The latest conflict between Rea Vaya operations and the taxi industry culminated in another suspension of bus operations on Monday, 4 November 2024, leaving thousands of Rea Vaya commuters in the lurch.

Commuters received the following message on Rea Vaya's social media platforms:

"Rea Vaya Passengers are informed that buses are temporarily suspended until further notice. Some transport stakeholders have raised issues relating to feeder routes. We are engaging with them to establish the cause of the problem. We apologise for the inconvenience."

According to Johannesburg MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene, the taxi industry was "angered" by the deployment of a new fleet of 45 feeder buses on Monday to replace broken-down vehicles.

Kunene said the buses did not bear the province's "GP" registration letters, leading the taxi industry to assume that a new business was working with Rea Vaya outside their agreement with the city and bus operator.

"The taxi industry became very angry because as per the industry standards, a vehicle must be operated with the registration of the particular province," Kunene said.

MMC Kunene said he met Mahier Tayob, the business rescue practitioner for the...