Media Statement by Rehana Moosajee MMC Transport and assessment of BRT Day 1
ASSESSMENT OF DAY ONE OPERATIONS: REA VAYA BRT PHASE 1 A
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the commuters, drivers, station ambassadors, volunteers and other staff who have made the BRT happen this morning! Rea Vaya – We are going!
Our assessment of the first morning operation was that it was very successful. We managed to Transport all commuters at our stations and trust that under the circumstanced most were able to arrive at work on time. We did not anticipate the large numbers which we attribute to the stay away by many taxi operators.
We thank the commuters for their feedback including through our call centre. We acknowledge that in some instances commuters may have had to wait and that some of the buses were crowded. However, we appeal to commuters to be patient. The buses will arrive and all commuters will be transported.
I would also like to remind commuters that the buses make provision fro passengers also to stand safely.
To ensure that stations work as smoothly as possible, we appeal to commuters to buy bulk tickets. We are selling tickets in batches of ten.
Further, we appeal to commuters to abide by the instructions of the station staff and JMPD who are deployed to the stations. Nobody should walk in the dedicated bus lanes but cross at the pedestrian crossings provided. It is very dangerous for people to walk in front of the stations.
Rea Vaya drivers have undergone training but some are still learning how to master docking at the stations and at certain instances the gap between the doors of the station and the doors of the buses may be a bit far. We call on passengers to be observant and mind the gap when they enter the buses. We however reconfirm that the system is accessible to people with disabilities, the elderly and parents with prams.
I am particularly impressed with how quickly the station management staff such as ambassadors and cashiers have been able to master their jobs. I congratulate them.
At certain stations the demand was so high that we had to replenish the supply of tickets. Some of the mechanical and operational challenges that have been noted include the operation of doors but we are addressing the challenge on an ongoing basis.
We will be continuing to operate with strong police and JMPD presence to ensure the safety of commuters. As the Premier of Gauteng, Nomvula Mokonyane indicated we will not tolerate any lawlessness from those that may want to disrupt the system.
Yesterday JMPD impounded 10 cars which were found in the dedicated lanes and our operations are ongoing.
It has been very disturbing to note, that the taxi industry , having lost in court chose to inconvenience commuters to prove a point and stop operations in so many areas today.
I would like to reiterate that the Rea Vaya BRT has not been introduced to replace the taxi industry and covers only 25.5 kilometers of routing in our sprawling city at this point in time. The need for integrated, intermodal and intermodal transport remains central to government’s plans – this means that all modes have a role to play.
We must emphasise that what we are introducing is a starter service of 40 buses to pilot the system and iron out any teething problems particularly before the 2010 Fifa World Cup next year.
Furthermore we only chose 40 buses since we agreed in our local negotiations to only use drivers from the Taxi Industry. The service will be scaled up in due course.
We plan to do this by the latest January 2010 at which point we should have concluded negotiations with affected operators who would have formed themselves into a bus operating company that will own and run all 143 buses.
To assist commuters, the Gauteng Provincial Government has arranged for 150 additional buses to alleviate the challenges being faced by commuters. The bus will be deployed to depart from Soweto and other destinations in the South as well as a few from Ekurhuleni. PRASA has also undertaken to increase their services this afternoon by 13 train sets.
I would like to reiterate my thanks to you all including the other public transport operators such as PRASA who have come to the assistance of commuters at short notice. Let us build this partnership for public transport together!
-ends-