FROM July this year, Kempton and Tembisa residents will be able to commute to work for just R15 a trip.
At least, that was how much it cost Ekurhuleni mayor, Clr Mzwandile Masina, for his bus ticket on Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of people hopped into eight new Harambee buses – Ekurhuleni’s very own BRT baby – and took the new transport system for a test drive.
Masina, together with MMC of Transport, Clr Petrus Mabunda, were joined by major stakeholders such as the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) and the National Taxi Association (NTA), department officials as well as the media. The buses took a test drive on the approved route from Kempton Park to Tembisa, which is part of the Phase 1 of the implementation of Harambee.
The tests included determining the viability of the identified routes, vehicle movement and possible congestion within the mixed traffic road infrastructure during on and off peak times, among other things.
The test was to make sure that by the time the buses begin to operate on the roads, there is agreement with all stakeholders, including local and national taxi associations.
“We had to put this new transport system to the test and make sure everything is in order before putting citizen’s lives at risk,” Masina explained to the media.
“Between February and March, the department will be busy with the first phase of the testing. Currently the city is in possession of eight buses which we have procured.”
After the test ride, Masina praised the system and said he was happy with the bus assessment.
“The test went very well today and it was a very comfortable ride. We paid about R15 for the tickets – I hope you also paid for yours,” Masina teased with a grin on his face.
So far, the city has invested about R800 million into this project and the taxi industry will also eventually invest its own share of R800 million.
Peter Mashego of SANTACO explicitly said the association welcomed this initiative.
“We are not here to compete with the BRT system but to complement [it] and to ensure full cooperation for the benefit of the people of Ekurhuleni,” he said.
Masina also commented that such relations and a vote of confidence in the Harambee BRT System affirmed that, through strategic partnerships, such an initiative could be a success.
The mayor added that the short-term goal is to have the route between Kempton and Tembisa up and running by July.
The ultimate goal would be to connect the entire metro to this mode of transport, where an estimated 270 buses would be transporting the people of Ekurhuleni around the city.
