City tries to revive BRT

Publication: The New Age

Author: Mawande Jack

FILL HER UP: Discussions are under way to resuscitate the now defunct Mandela Bay metro BRT service. Picture: Supplied

Efforts are under way to revive the aborted Mandela Bay metro public transport plan after the national Treasury threatened to withdraw financing for the plan.

A report to the mayoral committee confirmed the municipality was in danger of losing about R460m that could not be spent by getting the city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) plan off the ground.

The municipality suffered yet another blow after the Treasury decided to reduce its public transport infrastructure and systems conditional grant to the Mandela metro from R700m to R340m in this financial year. The amount was meant to fund the BRT project, which has effectively collapsed.

Municipal integrated public transport system (IPTS) project manager Errol Heynes confirmed moves were being taken to rescue the project and would begin by appointing people in key positions.

He said advertisements for the filling of the posts were being posted while consultants were already at work to “update its operational and business plans”.

Construction of the BRT lanes commenced in August 2008 but the work was discontinued following a series of strikes by opposing factions within the taxi industry.

While BRT was deemed a national project and a Fifa prerequisite for all cities hosting World Cup matches, disagreements among stakeholders in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality plunged the project into disarray.

Taxi operators demanded that the project be completely redesigned to allow taxis free rein in the city’s central business district and rejected the plan of being only feeders to buses.

While cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town have successfully implemented the first phase of the BRT project, Mandela Bay metro may have to start from scratch.

The dedicated bus lanes are still nonoperational while the buses that were purchased for millions of rand are gathering dust at a warehouse in Markman township.