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Go local, says Rea Vaya
- Details
- 21 September 2012
JOBURG’S Bus Rapid Transit system is going for local content – bringing with it job creation – for its second phase bus orders.
REA Vaya will contribute to creating jobs and enhancing local bus manufacturing through its tender requirements for buses for its second leg, Phase 1B.
To put this process in motion, the tender for the provision of buses was advertised in all major newspapers and a compulsory tender briefing with prospective manufacturers was held on 13 September.
“The tender specifications include significant requirements to maximise local content in the bus manufacturing process,” explained Brendan Peterson, Rea Vaya’s director of finance and administration.
The system had to be up and running in time for the football World Cup in 2010, and because of time constraints this gave to getting Phase 1A on the road, fully built buses were imported from Brazil.
“This time we want to see as many of the bus components being produced locally [as possible]. Bus bodies must contain at least 80 percent local content. Bus chassis may be imported, but only in knocked-down state and have to be fully assembled locally.
This will maximise local content and will enhance job creation in South Africa,” he added.
For bidders who can go the extra mile to ensure maximum local content and production capacity, there is an added advantage. “Bidders will be awarded points for further innovative schemes that will advance the Joburg City goal to have as much local content and create as many jobs as possible,” explained Jacques van Zijl, the Rea Vaya project manager.
Manufacturers are expected to show how they will expand employment opportunities during the manufacturing phase and subsequently in the servicing of buses. It is expected that they will also become involved in training bus drivers and mechanical staff at the bus operating company that will be contracted to operate the services.
While the tender specifications for the Phase 1B buses were similar to those of the existing Phase 1A buses, a few improvements had been made after getting feedback from passengers. This included heating in winter and improved ventilation in summer.
The new buses would also have improved user-friendly modifications to make life easier for people with disabilities, such as a sliding wheelchair bridge that would close the gap between the station and the bus so that people in wheelchairs could roll in and out of the buses by themselves, explained Van Zijl.
The tender specification for maximum exhaust emissions remained at Euro 4 standard, as for the first phase of the project.
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