BUSCOR: Forward-Thinking Buscor Delivers First-Rate Travel Experiences
Buscor is a leading passenger bus company, operating in the Lowveld region of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa with head offices in Nelspruit. Transporting nearly 40 million passengers per annum and covering a similar number of kilometres, “Buscor is totally committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation to the community we serve,” the company opens.
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Since 1980 Buscor has operated in the Lowveld and today covers the Mbuzini and Mgobodi areas to the east, Barberton to the south, Hazyview to the north and Ngodwana in the west. “We take pride in serving and driving our community with dignity,” Buscor states. “Thus, we are dedicated to providing people in Nelspruit and surrounding areas with affordable, accessible, safe and convenient buses.”
Catering for workers, casual passengers, contracts and even special hires for organised parties, Buscor operates some 400 buses consisting of bus trains, rigid and semi luxury buses and has gained renown as a pioneer of technological development in the passenger transport industry, along the way garnering the title of the largest bus train operator in Africa.
WORLD CLASS SERVICE
“Buscor shares the vision of the Department of Transport to become a world class bus service company offering first class transport system for Mpumalanga Province,” the company delineates. “As a responsible operator, Buscor works together with the department to achieve this goal. Our motto is clear: passenger safety is our passion.”
Matsebula’s Bus Service was incepted in the late 1960s by Samuel, Michael and their father, Mpopoli Matsebula, later joined by their younger brother Joseph. Operating services between Pienaar, Daantjie and Lekazi to Nelspruit, Matsebula’s Bus Service also covered the Nkomazi area. Meanwhile, Sticks Nyalunga Bus Service was operated by the Nyalunga brothers Solomon, Ben and Paul, whose services spanned the Kabokweni and Pienaar areas to White River.
“The two companies amalgamated in 1980 to form what is today known as Buscor,” the resultant entity details, proudly the first bus service in Africa to introduce the groundbreaking bi-articulated bus and today operating in excess of 40 within its fleet. In 2012 Buscor became the first passenger bus commuter operator to be fully black-owned, and to this day is strictly guided by its core tenets of reliability, transparency, safety, cost effectiveness and convenience.
“Buscor takes the utmost pride in serving the community to which it offers its services,” this transportation giant effuses. “We value the communities we operate in and want to ensure that we cater to their needs in the best way possible.”
INCLUSIVITY THROUGH INNOVATION
Long known as a most forward-thinking of companies, Buscor has been rightly pinned as a trailblazer in creating accessibility and inclusivity within transportation systems to the benefit of commuters. “Furthermore,” Buscor adds, “we have also emphasised and recognised the fundamental importance of providing transportation options for all individuals, leading to the implementation of a range of initiatives.
“These initiatives are to ensure that services are accessible to everyone, regardless of physical abilities or socio-economic status.”
This has entailed the introduction of wheelchair-accessible buses, designed to not only enhance the overall travel experience for people with disabilities, but also to highlight the importance of inclusivity in public services, alongside sensitivity training to ensure that drivers and support staff are positioned to help when required.
“In addition to physical accessibility, Buscor has also embraced technological innovations to enhance inclusivity,” the company stresses, last year reaffirming its commitment to delivering exceptional bus travel experiences through the implementation of digital payment methods within the Nelspruit and White River Divisions. “By implementing this advanced payment technique, we hope to not only streamline the ticket purchase process but also guarantee that our customers reach their destinations on time,” Buscor commented.
“We are proud to announce this innovative project and do this to reinforce our dedication to being the top bus transportation company in Mpumalanga. We are excited to embark on this journey towards a future of enhanced convenience and unrivalled excellence.”
Leveraging technology is inarguably critical to Buscor’s successes, and it continues to pioneer new developments to revolutionise the way that commuters enjoy its bus services. In June last year, Optibus, the leading provider of AI-powered planning and scheduling software solutions for the public transportation industry, joyfully announced its expansion in Africa with a new client in the form of Buscor.
It was revealed that Buscor will henceforth deploy Optibus’ Planning, Scheduling and Rostering software products to digitise urban and interurban services which had to date used traditional manual methods. “Using Optibus signifies Buscor’s commitment to passenger satisfaction,” said Buscor MD Timothy Mathebula. “This is a significant step forward in elevating the quality of public transportation services, not just in the Mpumalanga Province, but across all of South Africa.
“We cannot wait to use Optibus to create a better travel experience for millions of passengers and ensure they reach their destinations safely and on time.”
“As we pursue excellence in every aspect of our operations,” Buscor rounds off, “our company supports the ideals of affordability, safety, dependability, efficiency, and convenience to ensure that our customers may look forward to first-rate travel experiences.”