A look back in time as we reminisce over the moments aback of Buscor’s history and evolution and how Buscor came into being. The humble beginnings of being a novice businessman with no to little experience in a certain field never stopped the pioneers behind the success of what is known as Buscor today.
As we are celebrating the transport month this October in conjunction with the Department of Transport, our aim is to increase public participation to ensure that road rules and regulations are adhered to. Subsequently, encouraging our commuters and the public about the importance of respecting road signs and speed limits should be part of the agenda.
When was Buscor Established?
Let us walk you down memory lane and give you some in-depth history of Buscor. Before commuters got to call us as Buscor, we were called Matsebula’s Bus Services, which was initially established in the late 1960’s by Messrs. Samuel -, Micheal – and their father, Mpopoli Mathebula. They were later joined by their younger brother, Joseph Matsebula.
Furthermore, the Matsebula’s Bus Service operated between Pienaar, Daantjie and Lekazi to Nelspruit, as well as services in the Nkomazi region. Therefore, they were our competitors called Nyalunga Bus Service, which was operated by the Nyalunga brothers, namely Solomon -, Ben – and Paul Nyalunga. The Nyalunga Bus Service operated services from Kabokweni and Pienaar area to White River.
Why is it called Buscor today?
Both the Matsebula’s Bus Service and the Nyalunga Bus Service amalgamated in 1980 to form what today is known as Buscor (PTY) Ltd, this comes after Fred Kinnear and Abel Erasmus acquired a 50% stake. The company is now a successful bus service operating more than 450 buses of which the majority are train buses, transporting approximately 38 million passengers per annum and thus covering approximately 32 million kilometers annually.
Our Experiences:
Lowlights
Buscor has served the purpose of its existence throughout the years since it was established, and it is keeping real to its promises by ensuring that commuters have access to transportation. Our company stood up against all odds back in the days when there was no proper road infrastructure within various communities.
There was huge criticism among other public transport businesses such as the taxi industry. That Buscor is invading the industry in terms of rendering good services to the public at an affordable price. There was limited access to various communities within the Ehlanzeni region due to basic infrastructure developments.
Highlights
Over the years, Buscor has grown from strength to strength amid tribulations and hardship of fighting to be the best at what we do. Our customers struggled to buy tickets using our cashless service until we introduced it early this year. This comes after we have been trying to implement changes to our purchasing systems to enhance our operational systems.
Our Milestone
Buscor has grown into a company known as being a pioneer regarding technological development in the passenger transport industry. We have earned the title of being the largest bus train operator in Africa. Buscor is currently operating bi-articulated buses. This process started in 2007. As pilot with 12 train buses converted at B&J and grew to 22 vehicles manufactured by MAN. The company in the financial year 2022/23 acquired an additional 22 Bi-articulated to total 44 in the fleet.
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Stakeholder and Shareholder Management
In April 2012, Hannah Trust sold its 51% shareholding in Buscor (Pty) Ltd. Making Buscor become the first passenger bus commuter operator to be fully black owned. In 2012 Buscor introduced Buscor Charter Services – This division was established solely to cater for our increasing Private Hire market.
Popular destinations include the Kruger National Park and the Panorama. A sister company was also founded, called Protours Coach Charter (Pty) Ltd. It operated as a Division of Buscor (Pty) Ltd until the year 2020.
Current Status Quo
Currently the shareholding is as follows: Employee Trust (10%), Zenani Trust (44.5%), Joseph Matsebula Trust (25%). Mr. Timothy Mpopoli (Oupa) Mathebula (20.5%) with Dr. Norah Fakude as the current Executive Chairperson and Mr.
Timothy Mpopoli (Oupa) Mathebula at the helm of management as Managing Director. Mr. Fred Kinnear donated 10% of the Hannah trust shares to staff/employees, which completes the 100% ownership of this institution.
Employment Opportunities
Today, Buscor has more than 1000 employees which include drivers, artisans, general assistants, and the management. The company offers learnerships and bursaries to deserving students who possess the skills required to undergo the training. Buscor is also responsible for training most of its bus drivers through the Driver Development Training Program. This is an intensive training program for a period of one year.
Conclusion
Through this piece on Buscor’s history and evolution, we can see how Buscor has come a long way to be where it is today. This shows the power of consistency through our business models. We have managed to stay true to our customers. Without their support, we would not have made it this far.
As a leading public transporter within the Mpumalanga Province, we wish to strengthen our business strategy. That will enable us to continue to give our commuters the best service they deserve.
