SA Roadlink – This one’s for you!

Taken straight from their website: 

'SA Roadlink is a luxury passenger transport company operating long haul bus routes countrywide. Over the past 11 years SA Roadlink has made great strides in the transport sector, making us one of the industry leaders in South Africa.' 

And under their slogan - 'We'll take you there'

Now let me dissect this for a minute. 'Made great strides' - if you use the word strides - you're not even close, just give up. 'one of the industry leaders' (which would be impressive if there were 100 or even 10) but since there are maybe 3 and SA Roadlink is clearly 3rd, it's not so good. Let's do the math 3 out of 3 - that would be LAST PLACE! But yes, I guess you get 'bronze', which is a 'leader' in your eyes. 

Yes, they will take you there -- or more like somewhere... but you'll probably have to be picked up by a 3rd party or you'll make it 'somewhere' in an ambulance but at the least you better believe you WILL arrive late. But no doubt they will 'take you there (somewhere)'

(This may seem bitter, but it's not. At least not now, as I recount it later! I find it rather hilarious.. and hopefully you will to!)

So, if you came here wondering if SA Roadlink is a safe reliable bus, let me just be super real for a minute - NO IT IS NOT! Ok, now if that's all you wanted.. bye. buttttt....... if you want some first hand, unbelievable, funny proof, then here you are!



An unforgettable SA Roadlink story... that I'm thankfully alive to tell.


We started out at 6:30 AM from Port Elizabeth with the bus being 20 minutes late (I was annoyed at the time, but later realized this was NOTHING!) As the journey began - on the bumpy road, swaying back and forth - car sickness was inevitable. I was keeping it together, thankfully and trying to sleep. I noticed we make it to East London and all was pretty swell. About an hour outside East London we pulled off at a gas station and told we had a 20 minute break… well that turned 20 minutes turned in to about 3 hours. Confused as to why we had not been summoned back to the bus, we confronted the crew. A belt had broken (which explained why the air hadn’t been working the last 30 minutes we were moving). We were told we had to wait for a mechanic from East London to get there now now (South African term - meaning sometime in the next few hours, maybe). 

Trying to make the best of this situation we sat around talking, eating and soaking up some sun. The mechanic showed up, I think we might have applauded. He apparently 'fixed' something, which took about 10 minutes. (Why we waited 3 hours is beyond me). We loaded up, made some great progress of 30 minutes (sarcastic maybe slightly) to a tiny, sketch town called Butterworth. We were told that the bus still wasn’t fixed because the mechanic fixed the belt with rope. I thought this was a joke. We sat at a gas station for 3 hours for a man to come fix a rubber belt with A ROPE!??! 

Here's all we could say - T.I.A. - This is Africa. (a coined term to explain the unexplainable in Africa.) So, in case you missed that we waited for a mechanic for 3 hours to fix the bus with rope! Awesome!

Let's talk about Butterworth, where they had us posting up. We ventured into the town center (out of necessity for cellphone minutes). The chaos was overwhelming - people, animals, cars, bikes, yelling and large crowds. We found a convenient store - got in and got back out as quickly as possible while fighting through the crowds of people. The crew informed us we should probably stay near the buses, because it was not safe in Butterworth. Again, more awesomeness. 

We sat there, on the cement directly outside the buses until 7:30 PM. Now this next part was mind blowing to me and simply unexplainable. We were told a different bus was coming (from Durban). We were super excited that we would be getting a different bus and continue on our way. Then we were told, the bus was full of people and the plan was to switch busses. This part is kicker - their bus was working and ours was broken. They had NOT been informed that they would be switching a working bus for a broken bus. They called a small meeting before the (working) bus arrived and we were kindly informed that we were NOT to say a single word that the bus they were loading their suitcases on to and groggily boarding was broken and not going to be moving anytime soon. It was hard for me to watch them board the bus, finding seats, not knowing what was going on. I have no idea what happened to these poor people, but hopefully they made it to their destinations (eventually). 

We got everything put onto our new bus and headed off towards Durban. Our arrival time was originally set for 9 PM. With these 'pit stops' we were set to get there about 3 in the morning. I should add that we had a family friend of my roommates waiting for us in Durban to drive us to his home in Pongola (4.5 hours north of Durban). 

The new bus was moving smoothly and rather quickly...  maybe too quickly. But we did have, oh you know about 6 hours time to make up! Don't worry that we didn't have time to make any more proper stops, so instead of letting us off, we stopped by a fried chicken joint and they bought us each a piece of chicken and a biscuit. Now that is some awesome costumer service thank you SA Roadlink, some fried chicken always makes me happy especially now that you've made the bus I've been stuck on smells like a dead chicken mixed with BO and many other wonderful smells!

We hit yet another roadblock around 2 AM. I know, I know this is very hard to believe. (NOT!) Of course we were trying to sleep, it had been a super long day. But we woke up to a loud pop and then felt the bus halt and pull over – but started moving again after a few minutes. After another few minutes the bus was filled with the smell of burning rubber. I remember being rather angry at the smell wanting it to go away so that I could sleep – not even thinking that maybe the bus could be on fire! No, because that would be impossible! Oh wait, nothing is out of the question with SA Roadlink. The bus was indeed on FIRE!!! We were told 'get off' and 'grab your stuff', confused as to why until a passenger said, there's a fire! We quickly got off the bus and as I was grabbing my suitcase from the underneath storage outside the bus, I caught a glimpse of the back tire - which was gray from the fire/smoke and behind the tire sparks were still flying!

We quickly moved away from the bus down the road. I just knew the bus would explode and frankly was kind of hoping for it, it would be fun to see that sucker burn to the ground. We weren't that lucky. Side note for you South Africans: we were in the middle of the Transkei. Everyone else: This is not a very good place to be - period. ever. and to stranded in this place on the side of the road at 2 AM - basically a death wish.

But, instead of getting upset/scared/angry we stood there and laughed.. and laughed and laughed. (and took pictures) Maybe it was exhaustion. Or maybe it's just all we could do to keep ourselves from screaming. From screaming at the crew, SA Roadlink, or the world in general. Just when we had thought it couldn’t get worse our bus caught on fire! FIRRREEE! hahahahhahaha

As all the passangers stood there, on the side of the road in the cold, they came over and asked if anyone had any water. I did, but I had no clue how long they were going to make me stand on the side of the road - there was no way I was sharing my precious water and what did they need it for? (continue reading to find out).

Soon we were informed we would be stuck on the bus till 2 in the afternoon the next day, till another bus could come. YEAH RIGHT. I think we would have rather hitch hiked with a creeper/killer/freak! We didn't do that (mom) don't worry. Instead we responsibly called our friend, who was waiting for us. He said that he would drive the hour and a half to come get us from the side of the road.

After the fire, we were told that getting back on the bus and traveling a few miles was safer. Why? Because where we were we would likely get robbed and/or killed. Awesome, so we took our chances with a burning bus. So, it became apparent as we boarded the bus again what they needed our liquids for.... of course... it was TO PUT OUT THE FIRE! (because of course fire extinguishers take up too much room and/or are over rated). But they didn't use water, instead they used... wait for it..... Fanta and Cream Soda. FANTA!!!?  CREAM SODA?!! YESSSS!! THEY USED SODA TO PUT OUT THE FIRE!! Or maybe they drank it as they roasted their marshmallows (or chicken) over the flames! But either way, soda was somehow used in the process of 'putting out the fire'! I promise this is a true story! I know it doesn't seem like it, but it's all for realz!

We slowly moved a few miles down the road where it was supposedly safer since being on the side of the road in the Transkei is not safe (uh, duh...). We ended up parked by a couple of semis (clearly much safer?!). We tried to get some shut eye as we waited for our friend to come get us/find us. He got to the bus around 4:30 AM (almost 24 hours after we began our journey). We woke up to a gruff man saying ‘Breana?’ We got into his car and made it to his house around 11 that next morning, feeling drained and horrible for what we all had to put up with!


I wish that was the end. But it's not. We had to take the same bus home! But of course we were optimistic and thinking, our story/experience must be once in a lifetime! 

We stood outside the bus/bus station at 6 AM because the key had broken off inside the lock. This company just really has the WORST luck on the planet. They weren’t able to get into the office, so we had to wait. 

We got on the road about a half hour late – but again, if that was the worst thing that happened that would have been amazing. Well.. it was all good until we hit King Jamestown (about 2.5 hours from P.E.). We were starting to feel pretty confident that we might make it back on time ish and without any issues. 

We were wrong.... We pulled into a parking lot to pick people up and heard a commotion. We realized we had hit a truck (with one of the racks to carry ladders and things). Granted we weren't moving very fast, so it seemed it wouldn't be a big deal. But turns out we hit that truck not just once but TWICE ANDDDDDD we hit a car on the other side of the other bus too!! When we stopped at the police station to report the accident(s), we all got off of the bus to see what was going on after a while of not moving. 

That's when we found the huge, side bus windows was completely shattered and also had a hole in it. They tried to tell us that we were going to have to wait for a different bus (which would take about 12 hours). YEAH RIGHT, I thought! Luckily, they decided that clear tape would do the trick! A nice man on the bus helped out by taping it up! (Turns out he recognized us, from when he came to Butterworth to pick up his girlfriend when we were stranded there on the way up to Durban -- small world!) We finally made it home to P.E. around 10 PM! So thankful we made it, so so thankful that we made it home ALIVE!

Thank you SA Roadlink for the exciting, crazy and life threatening story that I will be able to tell my grandkids one day.


In conclusion:  

For those of you considering SA Roadlink -- Do it at your your own risk you might not come out alive (seriously)! 

Also if you think we got a refund or any sort of apology or compenstation (besides the fried chicken) you're crazy. We were told (by other passengers) not to even file for a refund because they wouldn't give it to us!

Lastly, if you have a story of your own, please write it in the comments or email it to me! I would love to hear it and would like to know if I just have really bad luck, or if maybe it really is SA Roadlink!!

Thanks for reading, and good luck if you ever take this bus!! I hope you make it to your destination with all limbs attached and all your belongings!