MBOMBELA – The local municipality is taking steps to streamline the management of public transport operating in and around the city.
The city council approved the proposal that these functions be transferred from the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (DPWRT) at its most recent ordinary meeting at the end of September.
Spokesman for Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM), Mr Joseph Ngala says it is a matter of streamlining functions.
It largely came about after taxi drivers brought rush-hour traffic on the R40 to a halt in 2014, in protest against how their areas of operation was being regulated.
At present, permits for taxis are issued by the DPWRT, while public bus service provider Buscor gets its funding from the national government.
This leads to a variety of challenges, where MLM has to manage its taxi rank, but can’t control the issuing of permits.
While the functions don’t relate to roads, the fact that some of them in the municipal area are under the management of DPWRT is a challenge where MLM remains responsible to its citizens and installs traffic lights or speed bumps – on roads which are not the municipality’s.
On October 20 the MEC for DPWRT, Ms Dumisile Nhlengethwa, gazetted a notice that provincial roads D725 and P17/7 will henceforth be deemed municipal roads.
P17/7 is a 680-metre section on the R40 which passes the University of Mpumalanga. D725 is a 2,2-kilometre section running in front of the university from the R40.
Managing public transport is now located with the senior manager in the office of the municipal manager. An agreement detailing the financial implications of the transfer is to be tabled to council at its next sitting.
