Bad service

My girlfriend recently travelled with Intercape from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg, and unfortunately the experience was quite disappointing.

To start with, the bus departed on time, which we appreciated. However, the driver’s attitude toward passengers was very unprofessional. When we politely asked if we could place her bag in the luggage compartment, he responded in a harsh tone saying, “As you can see, I am standing here. If you want to talk to me you have to come to me.” When working with customers, staff should always remain professional and approachable — that is what passengers expect when paying for a service.

There were also several unnecessary delays during the trip. At Vaal, passengers had to wait for almost an hour for another bus to collect people who had embarked on the wrong bus. This should not be the rest of the passengers’ responsibility, as Intercape staff should ensure that people are on the correct bus before departure.

Later, just before Montrose, the bus stopped again and passengers were asked to transfer to another bus without any clear explanation. Unfortunately, the bus they were transferred to was of a much lower quality, which made the remainder of the journey uncomfortable and unpleasant.

My girlfriend has been travelling with Intercape for many years and has never experienced anything like this before. Sadly, this trip felt like very poor value for money. We hope Intercape takes feedback like this seriously and improves both customer service and operational planning going forward.