Public transport over the football tournament gave a glimpse into what an integrated, people-centred city would be like.

REHANA MOOSAJEE has happy memories of the World Cup, which ended nearly a fortnight ago.

While many people had predicted a "hang over", with Joburgers mourning the end of the tournament and wondering what to do with their time now, Moosajee, the City's portfolio head of transport, is looking at the lessons learned to apply them going forward.

German and Brazilian fans share space in a crowded Rea Vaya bus

"The greatest thing about the tournament was seeing South Africans being great hosts, and displaying patriotism," she says.

Moosajee used public transport to get to the matches, and enjoyed the camaraderie and teasing between fans of rival teams. "The spirit on public transport was great," she says. It gave a sense of what could be achieved in the future.

The City's Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system transported, on average, 10 200 enthusiastic fans to each match.

In total, 307 030 fans made use of the Rea Vaya buses, with 121 806 spectators catching a bus at the Westgate Transport Hub. A further 106 600 spectators took Rea Vaya buses from the Park and Ride set up at Constitution Hill in Braamfontein.

Rea Vaya transported about 10 200 enthusiastic fans to each match

"To see the beginning of an integrated public transport system provided a glimmer of what a people-centred Johannesburg can be like," Moosajee said.

In total, 1 042 160 people attended the 15 matches played in Johannesburg at its two host stadiums – Soccer City and Ellis Park. Of these, 479 517 people used public transport. Figures from the City indicate that 143 000 people used the Park and Walk facilities, while nearly 100 800 people used Metrorail.

Metrobus transported 19 200 spectators from Sandton to and from the Westgate Transport Hub in the inner city, from where they took a Rea Vaya bus or train to the stadiums.

"The leadership and vision provided by the executive mayor kept the entire city focused on delivering the best World Cup while simultaneously focusing on using the pressure of the [tournament] to deepen our own programmes," Moosajee adds.

She is hopeful that Johannesburgers will be able to use the lessons and challenges drawn from the tournament to improve everyday living.

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