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IN THE NEWS
New complementary bus services will be added in phases to the successful starter service, up until May, mainly in Soweto. The CBD service will also be boosted.
THE full phase 1A of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is set to be completed soon, with new routes added to those already running between Soweto and the city centre, between March and May.
Preparing the road for the Rea Vaya routes
This was announced by the City's portfolio head of transport, Rehana Moosajee, at a media briefing on 10 February.
"Today it gives me great pleasure to announce the phased addition of services to the current Rea Vaya starter service to complete the full phase 1A of the Rea Vaya project from 1 March to 3 May 2010."
Moosajee said Rea Vaya was now ready to operate all its services for phase 1A.
From 1 March, there will be a new complementary service running directly from Dobsonville, in Soweto, to the Johannesburg CBD and Ellis Park Station, and feeder services in the township transporting passengers from Naledi to Thokoza Park Station, from Jabavu to Lake View Station, and from Mofolo to Boomtown Station.
The final services for phase 1A are scheduled to start on 3 May. These are an additional complementary service from Dobsonville to Maponya Mall, and feeder services from Protea Glen to Thokoza Park Station and from Eldorado Park to Thokoza Park Station.
A CBD distribution service will be re-introduced that will link the trunk routes with Braamfontein, the University of the Witwatersrand and Hillbrow.
"From the beginning of March 2010 our service will become much more sophisticated. It will include real-time tracking of bus movements from our Rea Vaya control room and communication between driver and control room," she said.
"This is important to make sure that buses run on time and that in an event of a problem a quick solution is devised."
START UP
The City has been running a trunk route from Thokoza Park in Soweto to Ellis Park in the northeast since 31 August 2009. On this route, passenger numbers have increased from a daily average of 11 800 in September 2009 to highs of 17 000 in early December 2009, before the festive season holidays.
"We have learned an enormous amount from interaction and feedback from our Rea Vaya customers. I would like to thank our passengers for their feedback and patience in ironing out our few starting challenges," Moosajee said.
After the successful implementation of its starter service the second leg of the project – phase 1B – will begin.
The latter was initially planned as a trunk route from Dobsonville, in Soweto, to Sandton, in the north, with feeders that would reach Lenasia in the south and Sunninghill in the north. This phase, however, has been refined as a trunk route running from Noordgesig to Highgate; Empire Road; Parktown; Metro Centre, in Braamfontein; Rissik Street, in the CBD, and joining phase 1A.
The route for phase 1B will run past major health care and educational institutions, such as Helen Joseph Hospital, Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Milpark Hospital, University of Johannesburg and University of the Witwatersrand. It will also run near to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and other health facilities in Parktown.
Buses on this route will serve passengers in Soweto, Noordgesig, Bosmont, Riverlea, Westbury, Sophiatown, Westdene, Auckland Park, Melville and Milpark, among other suburbs. Two additional stations will be erected for phase 1B at the University of Johannesburg and Bernard Isaac School in Coronationville.
TIME FRAMES
Phase 1A has been strategically implemented to meet the time frames of the FIFA 2010 World Cup™, while phase 1B will only be operational in 2011.
Public interest in and comment on the route of the final stage of phase 1A – from Parktown, along Oxford Road to Sandton – has resulted in the City reinvestigating it. In addition, the route is the same as that of the Gautrain, the rapid rail link which will be launched in 2011.
According to Moosajee, there have been continuous talks with representatives of Gautrain and both parties understand that there needs to be integration for all public transport in the city as opposed to working against each other.
During the World Cup, there will be a special service which will mean a reduction in ordinary commuter services, especially on match days. The special service will focus on spectators journeying to and from the stadiums.
An estimated 20 000 spectators were expected to use the Rea Vaya for the Soccer City and Ellis Park matches, said Moosajee.
Rea Vaya infrastructure at Ellis Park is complete; however, two new bus stations are planned for Soccer City, as well as dedicated bus lanes, which are expected to be completed by May 2010.
"We are working speedily to complete the two stations at Soccer City to match the style and grandeur of the rest of the stadium precinct. The one station is on top of the Soweto Highway and pedestrians will have to travel by the longest man-made tunnel in Joburg under the freeway into the north side of the stadium."
HISTORY
At the launch of the starter service on 30 August 2009, Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said: "The City of Johannesburg is required to and has a responsibility to ensure a safe, secure and affordable public transport system for residents and visitors to all the match venues.
The City would use the pressure that came with the World Cup to build a world-class transport system for all.
"We need a public transport system that is fast, efficient, secure, affordable and environmentally friendly. We need a world-class public transport system for a world-class African city. The BRT Rea Vaya is part of this overall effort."
Rea Vaya began operating on trunk routes at the end of August; the inner city circular route was introduced a month later, at the end of September. However, the latter was temporarily suspended on 18 November so that operations could be updated for the World Cup.
At the time, Moosajee assured residents that services would be improved when they were re-introduced in 2010.
The full phase 1A of Rea Vaya will involve 143 buses and plying routes from the south and west – Protea Glen, Mofolo Park, Naledi, Eldorado Park and Dobsonville – from Ellis Park in the east; and the inner city circular routes.
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