By: Natasha Archary

Commuters were left stranded on Thursday, 04 May after Putco suspended its bus services due to diesel shortages.
Putco has urged commuters to make alternative transport arrangements, saying services will be affected until further notice.
Some 200 000 commuters, as well as vendors have been affected by the abrupt suspension of services this morning.
According to Putco, the disruptions are due to an unpaid Gauteng Roads and Transport Department subsidy.
Putco spokesperson, Lindokuhle Xulu said the subsidy hadn’t been paid since March, putting the bus service in a very difficult position.
“About 1,400 buses will be off the roads and not operating from Thursday, this is due mainly to the fact that we simply do not have diesel, and are not able to purchase diesel at this stage.
Because subsidies were not paid by government from March, and as a result we can confirm that our buses will not be in operation from Thursday until further notice.
We are hoping that engagements with government will be able to speed up the process of those subsidies being paid so that we can order diesel and bring back the services to commuters.”
Xulu says the suspension of services affects Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transport released a statement that payment has been made but it will only reflect in Putco’s bank account on Monday.
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