In pictures: Mamelodi's transport troubles

Photo: Sitting in the old Putco depot, many Autopax buses feature windows smashed during a protest led by the taxi industry last week. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: Like many other Putco employees, mechanics DA Machaba and Meshack Ramaloko are likely to lose their jobs as Putco has given up the routes to Autopax. The employees have gone to court to keep their jobs and potentially be transferred to another Putco depot. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: The Autopax buses were all back in action on Monday keeping Autopax cleaner Theodore Ramango busy. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: Operation Fiela was deployed to the township on Monday and while the army was not present, there was a huge police presence at the bus depot. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: As the Autopax buses are back on the roads, the situation remains tense with the Mamelodi taxi industry unhappy with consultation process that led to Autopax buses on the streets and the police cracking down on taxis without permits. Each Autopax bus that goes out still needs a police escort. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: At a taxi rank on Monday, Danny Manamela, a local taxi owner, criticised the government for replacing the Putco buses with Autopax buses, claiming there was insufficient consultation and with multiple bus systems now in the township the taxi industry will lose profits. (Greg Nicolson)

Photo: Through the window of a taxi in a Mamelodi rank, a police officer talks on his phone during the ongoing tension. (Siboniso Mncube)

Photo: The Autopax buses were lined up on Monday at the depot, ready to go out with police escorts. (Siboniso Mncube)

Photo: The Putco depot in Mamelodi is now full of both Autopax buses and police, while Putco employees mill about discussing whether they will get to keep their jobs. (Siboniso Mncube)

Photo: An Autopax bus enters the depot while police depart, with the SAPS constantly accompanying the buses to prevent violence, a challenge some say the police cannot maintain while Autopax services the old Putco routes for at least three months. (Siboniso Mncube)

Main photo: A bus with a windscreen smashed in the protests last week sits in the Mamelodi depot. (Greg Nicolson)