Unemployed jobseekers can now enjoy free travel services to interviews thanks to a partnership between the Western Cape Government (WCG) and Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS).
The ‘Getting You to Work’ initiative is a Cape Town-based pilot project that offers free travel vouchers to interview candidates during the recruitment process. It forms part of the WCG’s Growth 4 Jobs Strategy, which is aimed at improving the provincial employment growth rate.
It was launched today by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Provincial Minister of Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie.
Jobseekers who have scheduled interviews with partner employers can be nominated by the employer to receive a free travel voucher from the WCG.
The voucher enables jobseekers to travel to and from interviews in the Cape Town Metro for free, using Golden Arrow Bus Services from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm.
This is how the process works:
- Once an interview has been secured between a jobseeker and a partner employer, the employer will offer the jobseeker a free travel voucher to attend the interview.
- Once the jobseeker accepts, their details will be loaded onto an online platform by the employer.
- The job seeker will receive an SMS containing login details and instructions on how to register on the online portal.
- Once registered, another SMS will provide details on how to collect the voucher, which includes 12 free trips.
- The job seeker can visit a GABS kiosk or independent vendor to receive the voucher, which is then loaded onto a GABS Gold Card.
- The jobseeker taps the Gold Card when boarding a GABS bus to redeem their free trip.
- The voucher can be used to cover the full journey to and from the interview, including transfers between buses.
Eligible participants include job seekers who have secured an interview with a partner employer. To be eligible, a job seeker must have a scheduled interview with a partner employer and a valid South African ID.
Employers can get involved by registering with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), and by actively recruiting unemployed jobseekers in Cape Town.
Compiled by: Ilze-Mari Van Zyl
