Nelson Mandela Bay BRT 'still on track'
Nelson Mandela Bay's Bus Rapid Transit project is on track, but a number of issues including the payment system and what hours the buses will run still need to be addressed before the start of the Fifa World Cup in June.
This assurance from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality follows on BRT project insiders claiming the delay due to violent protests from the taxi industry and ensuing lengthy negotiations had meant the original project plan would not be delivered.
Because of this, the project is now focused on completing just the routes to and around the stadium, they said.
But municipal spokesman Kupido Baron says all BRT construction work will be complete by the beginning of May. Full use of the pavements would then be possible.
Twenty-four articulated buses and one regular single-coach bus would be delivered to operate on the route for the World Cup, he said.
However, the tender for the buses' smart card payment system has not yet been advertised. Baron said the municipality would place a call for tenders "soon enough" to appoint a company to manage the smart card payment system.
Asked about the hours buses would run, Baron said it was not necessary for them to operate on a 24-hour basis as "the city is not like other big cities where people travel throughout the night".
Operating hours would be discussed by the municipality following the awarding of the smart card contract, he said.
Baron said taxi and bus operators would jointly own the management of Port Elizabeth's BRT system. However he admitted that no final decision had been taken on this.
He said the municipality was negotiating with public transport operators about training lessons for drivers, communication with foreigners, and professional driving permits. The mayoral committee is set to meet BRT stakeholders this week to discuss any outstanding aspects of the system.
Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage District Taxi Association chairman Melekile Hani said he was "impressed and happy" with BRT progress, but admitted to concerns relating to the taxi industry's role.
Hani said: "We've been negotiating with the municipality to train our drivers not only on driving but also on providing good service to the visitors. But the metro's Fifa 2010 transport officials prefer experienced Algoa Bus drivers to operate the BRT buses.
"Government introduced the system for taxi operators. That is why we will control Port Elizabeth's BRT. Algoa Bus Company should continue to operate as normal.
DA councillor Isaac Adam said road networks linked to the stadium were complete, except Fettes Road.
Adams expects this to be completed before the tournament, but raised concerns about Harrower and Kempston roads.
With only three months until the World Cup kicked off, he said, the completion of these roads was "a concern".
Inet-Bridge
Posted at 09:13AM Mar 02, 2010 by Editor in Market |