4 December 2006

By Tammy O'Reilly

By 2009, Johannesburg will have hundreds of new buses transporting commuters on special lanes on routes linking townships in the south to northern suburbs and the city centre.

Called the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, the R2-billion project is intended to reduce traffic on Joburg roads while improving service - at no extra cost to commuters. The new 160-seater buses will be operated by Metrobus and other contracted operators.

The proposal was approved by the City council at its sitting on 23 November.

The buses will ferry commuters along the following routes:

• Lenasia to Sunninghill, via Regina Mundi, Orlando, Highgate, Parktown, Rosebank and Sandton;
• Alexandra to Randburg, via Sandton;
• Dobsonville to the inner city, via Pat Mbatha transitway;
• Parktown to Ellis Park, via Saratoga Avenue;
• Soweto Highway to Dobsonville; and
• Inner City Distribution System.

The BRT is modelled on similar systems that have been successful in countries like China, France and Ecuador. In these countries the systems have helped to reduce traffic, air and noise pollution and lengthy commuting times.

Median lanes will be created exclusively for buses, the number and capacity of buses to deal with the expected demand will be drastically increased and there will be a pre-boarding ticketing system. The buses will run from 5am to midnight and during peak times there will be buses every one to three minutes. In off peak times there will be buses every 10 minutes.

These busways will ensure priority movement for buses and minimise conflicts with private vehicles. Along some corridors the system will operate with a single busway lane and a single mixed traffic lane in each direction.

Planning for phase one of the project will continue until September 2007 and its construction should be completed before April 2009. By the time of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup the system should have been operating for a year. The proposal encompasses the same flagship corridors already found in the Strategic Public Transport Network (SPTN), which points out the most important transport nodes that must be prioritised for investment. These include a north-to-south route from Sunninghill to Soweto and an east-to-west route from Alexandra to Randburg.

An addition to the SPTN is the Soweto Highway and an extension from Regina Mundi to Lenasia, with further feeder services to Orange Farm. It aims to develop a system that places over 85 percent of Johannesburg's population within 500 metres of a Rea Vaya trunk or feeder corridor.

Rea Vaya is a planned new system that promises to be the City's answer to growing traffic congestion.

Private vehicle users will be integrated into the system through park and ride facilities set up at various points around the city.

It is envisaged that the system will use a distance-based fare structure. However, the cost of increments for distances will be fairly small so that low-income earners living on the periphery of the city and travelling long distances to work are not disadvantaged.

BRT is being touted as one of the few options that can deliver a superior public transport system in time for the world cup, as well as leave a lasting legacy for Johannesburg's citizens.

Estimated planning costs amount to R29 million, which will cover the operational plan, business plan, infrastructure and engineering designs, training and communication with potential operators.

The city's public transport system leaves a lot to be desired, according to commuters and other road users. There are an estimated 12 300 taxis in Johannesburg and more than 72 percent of all public transport trips are made on taxis. It has been found that more than half of the City's taxi commuters are dissatisfied with fares, crime at taxi ranks and taxi industry violence, while 66 percent of users are fearful that taxis are either unroadworthy or driven recklessly.

In addition, the increasing numbers of new cars on the roads causes much congestion, both during peak and off peak times. The ageing rail network is no better, with commuters constantly let down by delayed trains, crime on coaches and poorly lit stations.

"There is a transport system in Johannesburg, but if you ask commuters if they are satisfied the answer is an emphatic no," says Rehana Moosajee, the member of the mayoral committee for transport. "I believe that this project speaks to the needs of the end user by providing a service that is efficient, affordable and safe."

The impact of this project on the taxi industry has been noted, but the City is sure that its interaction with the industry will yield positive results.

"We have been cognisant of the fact that the taxi industry has been subjected to a number of government projects that it sees as negative, like the Taxi Recapitalisation programme and the Gautrain project, but the BRT has a number of aspects from which it can benefit," said Moosajee.

Much of the taxi industry's discontent stems from some public transport providers being given state subsidies, while it gets no assistance. In addition, the upsurge in the number of private vehicles in use is already putting a stress on the business.

Moosajee said the City has had meetings with two taxi associations, the Johannesburg Regional Taxi Council and Top Six Taxi Management.

"We have no intention of forcing anyone into the system but we would like the co-operation of the taxi industry," Moosajee says. "Our feeling is that if it doesn't co-operate it will be a loss to the city, but we have to make it clear that BRT will not be held to ransom by any public transport operator."

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