Passengers give GO GEORGE a 90% satisfaction rating
The majority of GO GEORGE passengers say the bus service is making their daily lives easier, safer, and more affordable. The latest annual passenger satisfaction survey shows an impressive 90% overall satisfaction rating, confirming the bus service’s central role in connecting people to work, education, healthcare, and socio-economic opportunities.
Strong performance across key service areas
The 2025 Macro-, Transport-, Socio-Economic Study (MTSES), conducted among nearly 4 000 passengers, highlights consistently high satisfaction with the reliability, safety, accessibility, and professionalism of the service. Interviews were conducted at 322 bus stops over a four week period in October and November 2025. The number of participants (the survey sample) constitutes 31,5% of the individual users based on the average number of weekly bus users with most people doing two trips per day.
Passengers reported exceptionally high satisfaction in several areas, including:
• Drivers adhering to traffic rules (99%)
• Smart Card kiosk staff being knowledgeable and helpful (99%)
• Courtesy and support from route controllers and superintendents (97%)
• Accessibility for passengers with disabilities at bus stops (97%)
• Reliability of the service (97%)
• Skilled, responsible driving (96%)
• Sidewalk accessibility to bus stops for people with disabilities (94%)
• Friendly, courteous and helpful drivers (93%)
• Safety and security on board (91%)
• On board accessibility for persons with disabilities (90%)
• Affordability (90%)
Accessibility emerged as a key theme, with 97% of passengers saying GO GEORGE makes a positive contribution to their community. The vast majority of respondents (97%) indicated that GO GEORGE is reliable, reflecting a high level of trust in the consistency and dependability of the service.
Interesting demographics
The study shows a predominantly working age passenger base, with 66% between 25 and 45 years old and 72% being women. Employment among passengers aged 25–35 increased by 12% compared to 2024, underscoring the link between mobility and economic opportunity.
Voices from leadership
Western Cape Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku, welcomes the findings, saying they reflect the kind of public transport service that residents deserve. “To every resident who chooses GO GEORGE, thank you for placing your trust in this service. We know how important your daily journey is, whether you’re travelling to work, school, healthcare or other opportunities. Every time you step onto one of our buses, you should experience a service that is safe, reliable and treats everyone with dignity. That is what every GO GEORGE driver, operational team member and support staff member works hard to deliver every single day.”
GO GEORGE Manager, Morné Lakay, says the results reflect a system that listens and adapts. “This survey gives us a clear picture of how passengers experience the service every day. The high scores for reliability, safety and staff professionalism show that our investment in training and operations is paying off.
“It is particularly encouraging that 90% of passengers perceive the current fare per trip as affordable. That is what our service is all about – keeping fares affordable, enabling also those with low income to use the bus service. If you look at the annual tariff increase for GO GEORGE on 1 July, you’ll notice it was smaller than last year’s, despite the record high fuel prices worldwide,” Lakay said.
George Executive Mayor, Alderman Browen Johnson, highlights the value for residents. “Affordability remains one of the greatest benefits of GO GEORGE. This service ensures that people can reach opportunities without transport being a barrier. These findings underscore the important role of GO GEORGE as a network that links communities to opportunities and supports socio-economic integration. We are proud of the positive impact it has on households and the local economy.”
