Intercity Xpress Driver Abandoned Passengers at Ventersberg – Extremely Unsafe Experience

On 30 January 2026, I was travelling with Intercity Xpress on the bus that departed Pretoria at 16:45 to King William’s Town. At a refreshment stop in Ventersberg, the driver left myself and two other passengers behind.

At the time the bus departed, I was standing just outside the bus door with one of the passengers, clearly visible to the driver. The third passenger was still in a queue to use the bathroom. The driver closed the door and drove off despite seeing us.

We knocked loudly on the bus as it was moving away. Even passengers inside the bus signalled to the driver that he was leaving people behind, but he refused to stop.

We were fortunate that an Eagle Liner bus arrived shortly after and assisted us. Their driver phoned the Intercity Xpress driver and explained the situation, yet he still refused to return. It was only after he was warned that our luggage contained important documents and that he could be held responsible if anything went missing that he eventually agreed to stop for us at a Shell garage further along the route.

This was an extremely distressing and dangerous experience. Being abandoned in an unfami**** area put our safety at risk. Had we not received help from another bus company, the outcome could have been far worse.

This behaviour shows a complete lack of care for passenger safety and customer service. I expect Intercity Xpress to take this complaint seriously and explain what action will be taken to prevent this from happening again.