'We want to make sure this never happens again' - Golden Arrow on schoolboy left stranded

There's been a storm of criticism after the story broke of the primary school boy who had to make his own way home from Simon's Town to Khayeltisha after a Golden Arrow driver refused to let him board the bus because the 11-year-old had lost his ticket.

Golden Arrow Bus Services has confirmed that the driver has been suspended.

Lifalethu Mbasana eventually arrived home after 10 pm, having walked around 20 kilometres after being given a lift by a motorist as far as Strandfontein.

The boy's family of course were frantic with worry, and LIfa's mother has said that a suspension is not a harsh enough punishment for the bus driver who left her son stranded.

John Maytham talks to Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, public relations manager for Golden Arrow about what happens now.

Dyke-Beyer says the company mobilised as soon as they were notified of the incident on Monday night, and a representative was at Lifa's home just after he was found.

Counselling is being offered to the family.

Dyke-Beyer reiterates that it is company policy to assist uniformed scholars in situations where they have lost their gold cards, and that a disciplinary process is underway in the case of this driver who failed to do so.

She says Golden Arrow is looking at ways to reinforce awareness of the rule.

"This is an incident that evokes a very visceral reaction for all of us... The driver was suspended immediately, because he'd broken one of our rules, and now that disciplinary process needs to play itself out."

"This rule is covered in training, it's in the bus driver guide book... but we're obviously looking at ways to make sure we can communicate it more regularly with our drivers, to make sure this never happens again."

Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, Public Relations Manager - Golden Arrow Bus Services

Dyke-Beyer makes a distinction here between what happens when an adult presents to a bus driver without a ticket, and when a minor does.

"If any adult gets on a bus and says 'I've lost my ticket, please help me', unfortunately we're not going to be able to assist. But we have created this rule for minors, to make sure that in that case where there's a child that is vulnerable that we do assist them, and make sure they do get home safely."

"We've got a lot of drivers making decisions all of the time and this driver obviously made the wrong one. All we can do now is look at reinforcing the communication, trying to share it more regularly through meetings and so on."

Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, Public Relations Manager - Golden Arrow Bus Services

She says dismissal would be among the options for offences like this, but the outcome in this case will depend on what transpires through the disciplinary process.