158 Rea Vaya bus drivers dismissed

The 158 drivers were dismissed after they abandoned their buses two weeks ago without explanation. Piotrans, at the time, said the drivers had not communicated their grievances to management.

Spokesperson for Piotrans, Dumisani Mntambo, said the majority of bus drivers failed to heed the call to appear before a disciplinary hearing, hence the dismissal.

Mntambo said the company had made reasonable efforts to ensure that the notice to attend the hearing had been delivered to the employees and further made means to ensure that the relevant trade union is notified of the matter at hand.

"All those workers found guilty of misconduct have been dismissed with immediate effect. The dismissed workers have been notified of their rights to appeal against the sanction imposed against them as a result of the disciplinary inquiry.

"They have also been advised that they may refer the dispute to the relevant Bargaining Council. The board of Piotrans is fully behind the sanctions imposed," said Mntambo in a statement.

The company now has 65 bus drivers.

According to Mntambo, the company will now start with the recruitment processes today for new drivers.

"In the meantime, a proposal is being developed for approval by the City of Johannesburg regarding the resumption of services."

He appealed to customers to "once again bear with us as we restore normality to our operations. Services will be slow during the next few weeks".