The International Association of Public Transport has given its congratulations to Joburg's Bus Rapid Transit, recognising a job well done.

International Association of Public Transport impressed after touring Rea Vaya buses and stations

A VOTE of confidence has come for Rea Vaya from an esteemed international transport body – the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) – which has congratulated the Bus Rapid Transit on a job well done.

UITP is an international network of public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. A 15-member delegation from the association was taken on a tour of Rea Vaya, to get a feel for the system.

The president of the association, Ousmane Thiam, said he was very impressed. "Rea Vaya is for us the first experience of a Bus Rapid Transit in Africa. We are proud of Johannesburg for showing the way for all the African countries to follow."

He explained that he considered Rea Vaya to be the first BRT in Africa, even though the Lagos system was established before it. His reasoning was that the Nigerian system only provided light services, while Rea Vaya was in full operation.

The visitors toured Rea Vaya on 30 November, starting out at Thokoza Park Station in Soweto. They took a bus heading all the way across town to Ellis Park, passing Orlando and FNB stadiums.

They did not follow the entire route, rather disembarking at Chancellor House Station in the inner city. From there, they walked to the Rea Vaya offices, where they spent some time with the company's operations director, Jeff Ngcobo, who spoke about what made Rea Vaya the company it was.

Ngcobo talked about the stations and who ran them, the buses and who managed them and the ticketing company. He discussed the company's plans, referring to phases 1B and 1C.

Phase 1B would pass the universities of Johannesburg and Witwatersrand on its way from Soweto to Parktown. The completed route would be 18 kilometres long with 10 stations, many of which were almost finished.

It started in Noordgesig and travelled through Pennyville and New Canada, along Highgate Road, Stanley, Kingsway and Empire roads, to Parktown, and up to the Metro Centre in Braamfontein. From there, it travelled along Rissik Street, and joined Phase 1A in downtown Joburg.

The route covered suburbs in Soweto, as well as Richmond, Melville, Westbury, Riverlea, Bosmont, Brixton, Coronationville, New Canada, Pennyville, Crosby, Newclare and Noordgesig.

Ngcobo told the delegates that unlike Phase 1A, Phase 1B would affect more than the taxi industry, as it would run along the route used by Metrobus, the City's bus company; Putco and other small private bus companies, as well as the taxi industry.

The City was aware of the effect the BRT would have, and was in talks with representatives from the Greater Johannesburg Regional Taxi Council, Top Six Management, Putco, Metrobus and small bus operators.

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