Metropolitan BRT dream wears thin

For many, it was life changing to have access to safe and cheap public transport on clean, modern, roadworthy vehicles to and from the major metropolitan areas. The New York Times tells the video story of Susan Hanong and how the Rea Vaya BRT in Johannesburg transformed her daily commute as a low-paid housekeeper from her home in the ‘township’ of Soweto to the affluent Northern suburbs.

The video and accompanying article from February 2010 also highlighted the fact that not all South Africans approve of the Rea Vaya BRT – certain predominantly white homeowners in the suburbs complained that the new bus routes ‘would pollute the air, cause traffic to spill onto side streets, increase crime and damage property values’.

But perhaps the major blow to these transport plans have come in the form of increasingly negative reactions from the informal mini-bus taxi industry, to what they see as a threat to their business. The often-undroadworthy and dangerous mini-bus taxis are usually crammed to capacity, but have enjoyed a monopoly on the public transport industry for low-income South Africans whose transport needs have not been met.

BRT causes strikes and riots
Mid-2009 saw taxi strikes and violent riots around the country as taxi owners and operators sent a clear message that the BRTs were treading on their turf. This was followed by intense negotiations between groups such as the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) through the joint BRT taxi steering committee, which promised taxi bosses involvement in the Bus Operating Companies that run the BRT.

In April this year, taxi owners and operators again showed their dissatisfaction with the BRT development when the United Taxi Association Forum stormed Parliament buildings with letter of complaint. Protests also disrupted the launch of the system in Cape Town.

A taxi-cum-bus driver was attacked in his home, and Rea Vaya BRT busses were attacked by gunfire in April this year. Subsequently, BRT commuters in Johannesburg are nervous when using the service. In response, the police have ramped up efforts to target disgruntled taxi bosses and their hitmen who threaten to disrupt the Rea Vaya BRT.

Spokespeople for Rea Vaya repeatedly assert that the BRT and taxi industry can operate simultaneously but, with only a few days to go until the opening match of the World Cup - and with some planned routes still not ready, coupled with BRT bus drivers striking over union disputes - Johannesburg’s hopes for an integrated public transport system in time for the tournament are severely bruised.

Other transportation solutions
Meanwhile, the city of Cape Town recently launched its own Integrated Rapid Transit system, a scaled-down equivalent to the BRT system, with shuttles from the airport to the city. The IRT was plagued by its own problems in 2009, when the executive director of the city's transport division resigned following a major cost escalation and gross underestimation of expenditure on the IRT.

Port Elizabeth is using park-and-ride or park-and-walk systems during the World Cup to ease congestion around the stadium and major tournament/tourist areas. The Department of Transportation has also invested in improving inter-city bus travel.

See video story on the BRT from The Times