We are going! South Africans hop aboard new public transport system

Aug 31, 2009, 10:51 GMT

Johannesburg - Dozens of gleaming new buses revved into action in Johannesburg on Monday as an eagerly-awaited new commuter bus system - a 2010 football World Cup legacy project - went into time service.

Commuters thronged new bus rapid transit (BRT) stations in Soweto township from early morning to board the sleek, 90-seater single-decker buses for a ride to the city centre, 23 kilometres away.

The Soweto-Johannesburg route is the first phase of Johannesburg's bus rapid transit (BRT) network, named Rea Vaya (We are going in the Sotho language).

The BRT, which has revolutionized transport in South American cities, aims to reduce congestion and improve passenger safety by replacing the ubiquitous, minibus taxi on the city's main arteries.

In South Africa, minibus taxis have a reputation for bad driving and violence.

Some minibus taxi owners, fearing a loss of income from the new buses though they have been offered a stake in the BRT operating companies, have virulently opposed the project. Others have come aboard and supplied drivers.

In a potentially ominous sign, most minibus taxis, which will still have a role to play in supplying people to the BRT stations, stayed off the road on Monday, leaving many passengers stranded.

The apparent strike action took place despite the leadership of the anti-BRT South African National Taxi Association rolling back on a threat to strike, suggesting a split in the anti-BRT camp.

Repeated threats of attack by taxi owners hang over the BRT. The buses were flanked by police cars on their maiden outing on Sunday.

Johannesburg commuters are the first in the country to get the new buses, which run in dedicated median lanes to set schedules from dedicated stations.

Minibus taxis depart only when full and cause havoc by screeching to a halt in mid-traffic at the sight of a customer. Taxi turf wars have also claimed scores of lives over the years, with rival drivers sometimes trading gunfire from behind the wheel.

Fares on the buses are also significantly cheaper than the minibus taxis.

Cape Town, Pretoria and the southern city of Port Elizabeth are also planning BRTs, which is the most important legacy project for ordinary South Africans arising out of its hosting of the World Cup.

Providing safe public transport for the Cup and beyond and was a key demand of football body FIFA in awarding the Cup to South Africa.

At the official launch of the service on Sunday, Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo said: 'When the final whistle is blown and the soccer spectacle is over, we want to point and build on an transport legacy.'