Finishing touches on A Re Yeng

The long-awaited A Re Yeng buses are currently being manufactured and the Tshwane metro council said that the beginning phase of the bus system was progressing well. According to the council, the 30 buses to be used for the inception services will be completed by the end of May. “The inception phase route is approximately 7km long and runs from Pretoria Central, from the corner of Nana Sita and Paul Kruger streets in the west, to Hatfield in the east via Sunnyside and connects to the Gautrain station in Hatfield. This phase will have seven stations along the route, two in the CBD, three in Sunnyside, one at Loftus Stadium and another in Hatfield,” said Tshwane metro spokesperson, Selby Bokaba.

The buses, manufactured by Volvo Southern Africa and Marcopolo South Africa, were first put into production on 17 March. “We are doing the seats, partitions, and electrical connections of the bus as well as the intelligent transportation systems. Our capability is implementing the full design and production of the bus in less than a month. We put in a lot of pressure to deliver the bus on time,” said Marcopolo commercial manager, Alex Monteiro.

According to Volvo Southern Africa, the buses have a unique mechanical architecture. “The A Re Yeng buses are equipped with a rooftop-mounted engine cooling system that is advantageous in city operations. Roadside litter and leaves cannot be sucked into the radiator intake ventilation system, which is normally mounted on the lower left-hand side of the bus,” said general manager Marius Botha.

“We have travelled a long journey and now we are anxious about the implementation of the first phase. The time is around the corner for the city’s commuters to ditch their private cars and opt for a hassle-free mode of transport,” said city manager Jason Ngobeni.