Golden Arrow Bus Service suspends driver for leaving 11-year-old stranded
The 11-year-old boy, who attends Simon's Town Primary School, apparently lost his bus ticket on Monday.
FILE: Golden Arrow buses parked at the Cape Town bus terminal. Pictures: Bertram Malgas/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - The Golden Arrow Bus Service has confirmed that a driver has been suspended after a primary school child was left stranded in the Simon's Town area.
The 11-year-old boy, who attends Simon's Town Primary School, apparently lost his bus ticket on Monday.
His worried mother took to social media to post a photo of her missing child, saying he was meant to take the 2.30pm bus from Simon's Town to Makhaza in Khayelitsha but wasn't allowed on the bus without his ticket.
It's believed Harare law enforcement officials intervened and the boy was later found and taken home to his mother.
"Golden Arrow can confirm that it is company policy to assist uniformed scholars in situations where they have lost their gold cards and that the driver, who failed to do so, has been suspended. We have also undertaken to review all of our mechanisms which are related to lost scholar tickets and to ensure that protocol is followed in such cases," said Golden Arrow's Bronwen Dyke-Beyer.
Dyke-Beyer said they were involved in the search for the boy and had been in contact with his parents, having visited the family on Monday night.
"In circumstances where unaccompanied minors are making use of our services, we would ask parents to assist us by ensuring that their children are able to contact them in an emergency situation and that they advise their children on what to do in a situation where they are not able to catch their bus for whatever reason."