East London - Metrorail has launched a project in East London to inform commuters of any delays in its service.
This follows numerous incidents in which commuters frustrated by late trains damaged Metrorail property, including the torching of a coach in July last year.
As part of the project, Metrorail will erect notice boards at train stations and set up a website where commuters can post questions and submit queries.
"The project is part of our drive to improve our services and to build commuters' confidence in us again," said Metrorail Eastern Cape regional manager, Mthura Swartz.
He said thousands of commuters used Metrorail trains to get to work and school every week.
However, complaints about the lack of reliability of the service were on the increase, with some commuters even resorting to alternative means of transport.
Train commuter Mxolisi Khohlisani, 47, said the arrival and departure delays, and commuters not being informed about those delays in time, had even led to some people losing their jobs.
"It's good that they will let us know in time when a train will be late. Now at least we will know whether we need to catch an earlier train," said Khohlisani.
He said the lack of information about train delays angers commuters because it often results in trains becoming overcrowded.
Swartz added Metrorail was doing everything in its power to make sure the company provides a satisfactory service.
"Communicating with our customers and dealing with problems is vital for keeping our customers happy," said Swartz.
