Parliament hears of delays in bus rapid transit system

THE majority of metro municipalities are yet to meet their targets in the implementation of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, eight years after it was first introduced.

This emerged during a meeting between parliament’s transport portfolio committee and the country’s metros such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Parliament is holding public hearings over two days to assess the challenges and risks faced by the metros in rolling out the BRT system.

ANC MP and transport committee chairwoman Dikeledi Magadzi said while the BRT system in Cape Town and Johannesburg was up and running, others had been left behind.

“You still have Durban and a little bit in George. You also have Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay trailing behind,” Magadzi said.

She said the committee wanted to assess BRT and whether commuters were getting value for money.

“In Cape Town, it’s gradually going into the townships and once it goes into the townships it definitely will be able to alleviate the challenges the commuters are having,” she said.

Johannesburg has spent about R3.5-billion over the last five years on its BRT, known as Rea Vaya, while Cape Town has invested R6.5-billion on its MyCity bus service.

Tshwane has spent about R4.9-billion on its BRT system to date.

DA MP Manny de Freitas blamed corruption and maladministration for delays in other cities.