Jo'burg's party bus starts testing routes

Nelson Mandela Square (Image: Wiki Images)

The service is scheduled to be launched in September and will charge R30 for an unlimited night pass. Tests for the service began last weekend.

The Night Bus is the brainchild of four friends, Jade Mann, Mikail Solomon, Clayton Mott and Daniel Harris.

All four are committed party animals and want fellow revellers to be able to hop between popular nightlife districts such as Greenside, Melville, Sandton and Newtown without the hassle and dangers of driving.

The first stop was announced as 24 Central, on Fredman Drive, Sandton.

The stop will put party-goers in the vicinity of nightclubs such as Icon, Taboo, Cocoon and The VIP Room, as well as restaurants such as News Café, The Baron, Allora and The Maslow Hotel.

The second stop is Illovo Junction, on Corlett Drive, outside Wolves Café and The Griffin.

Prevent drinking and driving

The plan is to have shuttles running every 20 minutes with the first bus departing at 7pm and the final bus rounding up stragglers at 4am.

The aim is to prevent people from drinking and driving.

Solomon tried to dispel fears that the service would encourage alcohol abuse. "We will not be selling liquor on the bus, nor will we allow customers to bring liquor onto the bus. It has to do with regulations, and the need to maintain decorum on the bus and keep things safe," he said.

Each shuttle will carry 24 passengers and a security officer.

"We don't promote [alcohol abuse] but we are trying to promote safety and good behaviour when going out, so we hope this will be a safer option," he added.

Mann said the four friends developed the scheme because they and many others wanted to visit venues at night without having to drive after a few drinks and run the gauntlet of being accused of driving under the influence by police.

"We do a good amount of partying ourselves so we have our ears to the ground about where everybody is partying and we know all the popular spots," said Solomon.

So far, the Night Bus service has over 600o fans on its Facebook page.

The fans have suggested other drop-off points, including the Maboneng precinct on the east side of the city's central business district, Truth nightclub in Midrand, and Xai Xai Lounge in Melville.

Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge