MAXINE TWADDLE
Tuks students may soon be able to purchase cheaper Gautrain tickets.
SRC member in charge of the transport portfolio, Jordan Griffiths, has started negotiating with the Bombela Concession Company with the aim of introducing a special rate for students.
The SRC is currently gathering information about students using the Gautrain. Griffiths told Perdeby that the aim of the survey is to learn how many students use the train, how often they use it, and how much money they spend on it. The initiative targets students who use the Gautrain daily. According to Griffiths, Bombela is “very interested” in the idea of a student rate and is waiting to study the statistics drawn from the survey when it is completed. The company is in the early stages of examining the possibility of introducing a student rate and a reduced price for pensioners.
At the time of going to print the surveys were available at all campuses except Mamelodi for logistical reasons. Griffiths is hoping to interview a minimum of 3 000 students. He aims to have all the surveys completed by the end of August.
First-year psychology student, Amanda Ndlovu told Perdeby that rates should be lower for students. Her friend Noxee Shangase, who is also a first year, agreed but added that she does not mind paying the regular ticket price because “you get what you pay for.”
Kirsty Roberts, who is in her second year of hospitality studies, spends R2 380 on transport every month to travel between Hatfield and Sandton. She also pays for parking at the station and for bus trips. Roberts says that ticket prices are “very steep” and agrees that student rates should be introduced.
Currently, it costs R46 to travel to the Hatfield Station from Rhodesfield Station (the furthest station from Hatfield on the north-south line) and R49 from Park Station (the furthest station from Hatfield on the east-west line). It costs R19 from Pretoria (the station closest to Hatfield) and R24 from Centurion (the second-closest station to Hatfield). It costs R125 to travel to and from the airport.
Photo: Melissa Kemp
