Prasa / Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa
Reviews and Complaints

The service for PRASA is getting worse and worse- . This is affecting people, People are loosing their jobs, Risk of being smuggled, Raped, Robed and Killed.
Last night on the train to JHB from Pretoria- it gets stuck on the way, No explanation was done, No arrangements were done, Lucky I had extra money to catch a taxi, I sat next to a woman on her late/ early 60s,
Number 1: She was left alone as pple were jumping out, Train stops for more than 3 hours without explanation, without rescued from PRASA... I jumped, I walked from one station to another to catch a taxi, that was after 8pm...

I could not sleep at nite, thinking what happened to that woman, Not only her, also others that had to stay in that train without taxi fare, even jumping out of the train...

No doubt if left alone in that train, there are criminals there, There can be robed, smuggled and Raped... without any one caring... WHERE ARE THE BUSES TO ASSIST IN CASE OF EMERGENCY? ARE WE TAKING TRAINS ON OUR OWN RISK? WHAT IS THIS NEEDED TO BE DONE TO SEE THE ABUSE YOU PUTTING TO OUR PEOPLE?... THATS BAD--OUR BLACK PEOPLE SUFFERING UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE, , , TREATED LIKE ANIMALS BECAUSE THEY DONT AFFORD BETTER TRANSPORT...

What is going on with our Metro Rail Trains? The train service between Johannesburg and Randfontein is pathetic always late, does not announce on stations that they will be late or they will not arrive. When you phone metro rail's office, they just do not answer. We leave early from home to get a train in time otherwise we get laid of at work. Please let your commuter's know what is going on.

I am a commuter on your train, we travel from Benoni to Park Station and back every day. We use the Springs Business Express (EBE) as well as the Springs Express. Since the beginning of January 2016 we have had endless problems with the service.
We have been getting late to work and getting home late.
Yesterday the Springs Express 430 and 650 was cancelled just like that what were we supposed to do, then on top of that all stations was to full we could not get on them either, please advise when these problems are going to be sorted.
Will PRASA refund our money we paid for the month of January 2016 because due to the inefficiency of the trains and notices we have had to spend money taking the gautrain/taxi and other transport to get home.
The other problem is that we are no longer safe on the trains we were stuck last week and yesterday and we had other commuters stoning the train, what is we were injured who would pay?
We need you to communicate with us on problems/delays/issues early. Many a time communication is only done at the last minute or when someone complains.

Please tell me how do you run your business. If a train is faulty why let it run then when it breaks down there is a problem we all suffer. This is totally unacceptable service from this company

You have big digital boards at park station to inform commuters of trains and times and problems but these never work
The speakers are in such bad condition that we cannot hear any of the announcements
We get to work late everyday are you going to explain to our bosses that it was because of your incompetence
We have seen construction and upgrades in progress since last year when are these going to be completed? In 2020

The excuses are pathetic: Panel Out, Train is tripping the electricity, train stuck need another one to push it out the way, only one line, wait for signal or no signal, manual authorisation……..

We are at our wits end

To whom it may concern at Metro Rail Western Cape I regret to in form you that although there has been a noticeable increase in law enforcement officials aboard the the trains during transit I was still robbed. I was aboard the 3213 from Cape Town to Strand on the 18th of January 2016. At the Kuilsrivier station around 11 in the morning (the train had already been delayed) a young man climbed aboard and asked me for a cigarette. I replied I had none and he walked away to the other end of the carriage to talk to another man. A minute or two later he came back towards me and tried to grab my cellphone out my bag. I began shouting at him and he apologized asking me for money instead. I refused him. He then asked for my phone again. I refused again. He threatened me with a knife. I was extremely upset and began cry and screaming. He apologized again saying he didn't want to rob me and I should just give him what he asked. Then he asked for my ring, while only worth a few hundred, it had sentimental value. Just as we were pulling in to the next station (Blackheath) he ripped the silver ring from my finger and dashed off the train. To add insult to injury a few stations later every single person had to climb off the train and get on a bus instead because of a problem with the trains. As a young female family and friends have often cautioned me against using trains. I however would like to continue using your service. Please endeavour to make the trains as safe as possible for all your law abiding commuters (of which you have many) so that Cape Town may continue to be a place of positive industry.

I have started using TBE (Tshwane Business Express) from Tshwane to Johannesburg since the 4th of January 2016. Since then till today TBE has been making us to be late to work and day by day the is a fault. At one point i had to arrive at 11:00 pm at home and they do not do anything to assure our safety. If we loose our jobs they wont do anything about it. It is no like we do not pay we are paying customers and i demand that they company to evaluate their strategy and start putting customers first. We demand full service what they promised us when we purchase their tickets, . There is longer and beverages being served anymore and the wifi is no longer there. We demand full and excellent service. we want to arrive in time at work. They do not have shuttle buses anymore to carry us to the inner JHB CBD

afternoon my name is Muzi Nyoka i have a house that is situated right next to Hamburg train station on the 29 Sep 2015 a fire broke out from a piece of land in the station as a result of PRASA not maintaining their grounds the fire caught the wendy house that is close to the wall and that proceeded to the car port and the car caught fire as well, the windows in the main house close to where the wendy house was cracked. my problem doesn't end there i went to the train station to try and find out who was the security on guard but to my surprise i was told that there is no security between Georgina and Hamburg train station and what amazes me is that everyday we see security patrolling past our house walking on the railway lines and further more people that works at the train station are refusing to give the numbers for anyone at PRASA so i can lay a complain with them. today its been four weeks in still stay in a house that has broken windows i don't have a car to travel to work and i stand to loose my job because I'm late everyday using public transport. the case was reported to Florida SAP and they came out to assess the damage and they took the pictures and spoke to witnesses that were around. i have not heard anything from SAP since that day now i don't know what to do from here. I've tried to call PRASA and sent them e-mails but no one is saying or doing anything. PRASA needs to come forward and answer to me and my family take responsibility of their negligence and repair damage to my property. if its have given a tender to someone to maintain their property so that particular person or company needs to be held responsible for the damage to my property. Kind regards Goodman Nyoka [protected] nyoka.[protected]@netcare.co.za

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a very frustrated metrorail commuter who is at the end of her tether. I am sick and tired of the Northern lines being cancelled and delayed by an hour sometimes! Is it because we come from farm dominated arrears? Is it because we are not as important as the southern suburbs folk? That line hardly ever has delays or cancellations!

I have been commuting for many a years and have slowly but surely noted the deterioration of the services which is more commonly used than buses and taxi’s. It sickens me to think that we, the commuters concerns, are not seen and taken to heart as change happens but not for the better. It just gets worst and worst.

If you’re not being squashed to near death because of overcrowding, your being issued warnings at work for constantly coming late due to the trains being cancelled and then the next one is delayed due to technical reasons. Peoples lives are put in danger due to your inefficiency, and believe me when I tell you that the bosses just don’t care much for that piece of paper you scribble on.

In fact, it’s so bad that I have begun to ask myself, “who contributes to the economy of this country” Now you might ask yourself, where is this going? Let me tell you where;

1. When the soccer world cup came, did we have any trains cancelled? No!
2. When the soccer world cup came, were there overcrowded trains? No!
3. When the soccer world cup came, were there train delays? No!
4. When the soccer world cup came, did we have dirty trains? No!
5. When the soccer world cup came, did we have to worry about muggings or robbing on the trains? No!

Now the world cup is gone and things are worst than it was before! The people left behind are us, the people who are suffering while the foreigners had all the luxury! Is that fair? We need to explain to irate bosses why we are late. We arrive late for our childrens concerts and parent meetings!

Are the foreigners more important than we are? So what if they brought in foreign currency? Why was it not used constructively? Why do we who feed this economy have to suffer because of your incompetence?

I’ve had it I tell you! I’ll be sending this to all and sundry. I’ll even open up a web page with all the pictures as evidence if you like. Third Degree’s Debra Patter, Hello Peter, Minister of transportation, Minister of public works are only a few of the people who I’ll be sending this to and I’ll continue to due so and post it in all news papers on a daily basis until it is taken seriously!

Now ask yourself again, who feeds this countries economy!
Your service is pathetic to say the least!

I live in Daveyton, on the East Rand (Ekurhuleni) & I'm definitely fed up with the way Metrorail treats it's customers or commuters if I may say so.

I normally catch train 8816, from Daveyton to Joburg every morning at 05H50, but for the past three weeks the train that I normally use in the mornings hasn't shown up & to make matters worse no one seems to care about coz when you go to the ticket offices at the station to find out the cause for that, no one seems to know what's happening. Their explanation is that the comes Braamfontein & they don't know anything about what's going on. If you miss the 05H50 train you have wait for the 06H05.

That is not a problem coz the difference is only 15 minutes, that one doesn't take you to Joburg. It takes you to Dunswart, which is six stations away from Daveyton & we have another 17 staions to Joburg. It dumps us there & we have to wait for a train from Springs to Joburg 25 to 50 minutes & sometimes more than that coz at times doesn't show & as usual there's never an explanation.

For some of us it's difficult to take a taxi to Joburg coz I use 3 modes of transport to get to work, which is Joburg. From home I take a taxi to the sattion, from there I catch a train & from Joburg central I take a bus. I feel that this is unfair coz this is definitely a daylight robbery. First of all these people take our hard earned money in advance, before we even get any service & in return they don't even give us the service that they are supposed to provide to us. You don't even get a refund & you are expected to find alternative transport, which by the way you have to fund it from your own pocket. Last week my girlfriend called their customer care number & she spoke to one lady there who arrogantly told her that, "Your complaint is no use, coz it's just you". The next day we requested petition forms from their offices, we two forms which everyone was happy to put their signatures as a sign of action towards their unacceptable service, but now two weeks later nothing has happened. What are my rights in this regard coz I want to take action? Daveyton has been getting a crappy service lately when it comes to trains service.