Intercape put passengers at risk on TWO separate journeys

I am raising a serious safety concern about my recent experiences with Intercape on two separate journeys:

Cape Town to Mthatha (Bus 711, Route IM0187) Mthatha to Cape Town (Bus 655, Route IM0188)

This was not only poor service but it was unsafe and unacceptable too.

On the first journey, the bus overheated and we were left stranded in a dark, remote area near De Doorns with no proper communication from the driver. Passengers only became aware of the issue by overhearing the driver on calls to Intercape.

The bus was visibly steaming when opened, yet we were made to continue travelling in that same faulty vehicle.

During the journey, the bus hit a kudu and later a second animal, causing panic among passengers. At no point were we properly informed or reassured. I arrived over 2 hours after the scheduled time which was inconvenient.

After reporting this, I was told it was an “uncommon instance.” It clearly is not.

On my return journey (Bus 655), the bus broke down again approximately one hour after departure. We were stranded for over 3 hours in Ngcobo waiting for a mechanic.

The conditions were extremely uncomfortable:

The bus was too hot to sit in due to the mechanical issue Passengers were forced to stand outside, with some resorting to sitting out and having makeshift “picnics” while waiting There was little to no clear communication provided throughout

My ticket stated that I would arrive in Cape Town at 06:45, but I only arrived after 10:00 due to this delay.

This raises serious concerns:

Why are buses departing in an unroadworthy condition? Why are passengers expected to continue travelling in faulty, overheating vehicles? Why is there a complete lack of communication and duty of care?

Intercape markets itself as “Safe. Affordable. Dependable.” Based on my experience across TWO separate journeys, it has been none of these. If this is considered acceptable by Intercape, then it is deeply concerning.