Contractors close to finishing work on Rabasotho bus station
Dlabathi conceded that they were not entirely happy with some parts of the IRPTN project
The biggest bus station which forms part of the City of Ekurhuleni’s Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) project in Tembisa will be in operation in January 2020.
According to the contractors, the Rabasotho Bus Station, which is currently undergoing a massive renovation, will be finished in record time and ready for use by February.
“We started work about two months ago and the expected completion date is next year, January 15, but we are planning to finish before December. As you can see, most of the job has already been finished and we are currently working on the roof. And if there are no disturbances, such as heavy rains, we are looking to finish by December,” said the contractor’s manager, Thabo Mokoena.
This was sweet music to the ears of the city caucus’s chief whip Clr Jongizizwe Dlabathi and the executive, who spent last Friday inspecting the IRPTN in Tembisa.
“When we came in as councillors in 2016, the IRPTN was one of the major projects we committed ourselves to see it through because we felt that it was a game changer.
“But we understood that the project wasn’t moving as expected, especially on the infrastructural side, and without infrastructure it would be difficult to operate the buses.
“We are a bit relieved today that we are seeing some movement and progress, in particular the Rabasotho Station, which is the main station. We are encouraged by the fact that there is now a willingness to deal with the issue of infrastructure here,” said Dlabathi.
Even though not all the stations in Tembisa have been finished, Dlabathi said he was pleased that limited services of the Harambee buses had already started.
“We also had an opportunity to take a bus ride just to get a feel and sense of whether our people are being offered the services they deserve or not.
“We have made some observations in terms of how operations are managed. It’s safe to say that we will conclude our report and give it to the executive with everything that we have observed during our inspection and, most importantly, with recommendations that we feel should be implemented to correct some of the observations we noted,” continued Dlabathi.
Dlabathi conceded that they were not entirely happy with some parts of the IRPTN project, which he termed as going at a snail’s pace.
“We are still a bit concerned about the fact that the infrastructure is not entirely completed.
“This is a worrying factor for us, but at least we are noting that there is some movement, especially in the Rabasotho Station,” he said.
The City will later in the month receive 22 new Harambee buses to add to the existing fleet.
