The Bok bus nobody loved proved tougher than it looked

Haig Kerr, owner of the 1976 Leyland Springbok trophy tour bus that was mocked online this past week, says  he has silenced his critics.

Kerr, from Vincent-based VIP Promotions, said his vintage double-decker bus, which had been slammed as “scrap” due its modest look, travelled 1,000km  “non-stop” over 48 hours during the East London and Port Elizabeth legs of the tour — without incident.

Instead, he said, a third bus that was part of the parade, belonging to a Durban businessman, had broken down on Settlers Way on its way to meet the Boks in Port Elizabeth.

Kerr said the Durban bus’s turbocharger malfunctioned and that he was called to help get parts, but gave up  at about midnight after two hours of unsuccessful attempts.

“After listening to the people and even modifying the bus to become an open top for maximum visibility of occupants, we are proud to silence the critics from the past week who didn’t believe the VIP party bus could make such a prestigious trip without incident,” Kerr said.

“Our bus arrived back in East London and is ready for the busy festive season ahead.”

Last week, images of Kerr’s bus created a social media storm after people knocked it, calling it “old” and “rusty”.

Kerr said he had listened to some of the criticisms which led to him ripping off the roof after one member of the public said the closed top would hide the faces of the tour group.

In a statement on Thursday, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi thanked the people of the Eastern Cape for coming out in numbers to meet the Boks.

“The past week has probably been one of the best of my life,” Kolisi said.

“We won the Webb Ellis Cup for ordinary South Africans and to be able to present the trophy to them has been phenomenal.”

malibongwed@dispatch.co.za