The maintenance of 15 Windhoek municipal buses has been halted for three weeks as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.
Although the municipality has been struggling to acquire servicing parts for the buses, no routes have been closed.
According to City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye, the buses were due for service, but parts were not available.
“No routes have been closed, nor did we remove buses from various routes. At the moment (past two weeks), we have been struggling with the maintenance of the buses.
I believe due to the turmoil in the world as a result of Covid-19 and the ongoing conflict, the parts needed to maintain the buses took longer than expected as South Africa is running low on stock,” he explained. The City is thus dealing with the challenge, and it is hoping to start serving the routes again as normal. “We will keep the public informed on developments. We have 40 buses in total.
By Friday, we should have 38 on the road. Next week Tuesday, we should have them all operational,” he added. Municipal bus fares increased from N$7 to N$7.50 per trip for smartcard holders, and N$8.50 per trip for cash payments last year.
Passengers who make use of municipal buses are encouraged to obtain receipts from the bus driver every time they enter the bus in exchange for their
payments.