Intercape - Broken seats, bubble gum on seats-contaminated, unhelpful staff, rude drivers

My name is Henry Jacobs. I am a regular traveller on your bus service between Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town for the last 5 years. I returned from New Zealand, to RSA in 2018 where I am a citizen. I have been living abroad since 2001. I was a regular traveller on your services before I immigrated to the USA in 2001.

My experience with Intercape has always been pleasant except for the most recent trip from Midrand to Cape Town, on 2 July 2022 and retiring on 10 July 2022. My wife and I were on bus number 8111 on our trip to Cape Town from Midrand. The following was extremely uncomfortable and frustrating:

1. The seats we were on were broken. Every time the bus would apply a break, the suit would come apart and we had to experience discomfort for 18 hours going to Cape Town.
2. There was bubble gum on the seat and it got attached to my new tracksuit I had just bought and wore for the trip.
3. The one bus driver was very unpleasant and "rude" in the way he spoke to customers.

On our trip back from Bellville to Midrand, we were on bus number 8115. We again had to sit on a seat that could not recline. It was stuck in an arch forward position. I was forced to sit in that seat as the bus was completely full to capacity. I had to endure arch back discomfort all the way and ended up seeing a Physiotherapist with severe back ache. This was extremely uncomfortable considering that I always enjoyed using Intercape.

My wife and I were cramped up in a seated position where other passengers next to us were practically on top of us and we had to sit squeezed.

The bus driver in black uniform was very rude when we wanted to use the toilet at a pit stop. The queues were long at the Engen shops at the pitstops and when we wanted to go to the toilet after some travellers returned to the bus, we were rudely told"WHY ARE YOU GOING NOW-GO BACK TO YOUR SEATS. This was told to us in front of other passengers.