Work is moving ahead rapidly on Johannesburg's flagship Rea Vaya public transport system, with road works ongoing and consultations taking place with stakeholders.

Work to construct a dedicated BRT lane along Pat Mbatha Road has been completed
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

THE first phase of Rea Vaya, Joburg's new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, will be ready about one month before the Confederations Cup kicks off on 14 June 2009.

Rea Vaya means "we are going" and by April and May 2009, Joburg residents will, for the first time, be able to ride on a dedicated, smart public transport system.

The system will take passengers from Orlando Stadium in Soweto to Ellis Park Stadium on the eastern edge of the CBD, via the inner city. The trunk route will run along Pat Mbatha Highway, and there will be four complementary routes running in Soweto and the inner city, and five feeder routes running only in Soweto.

On 19 August, the member of the mayoral committee for transport, Rehana Moosajee; the executive director of the City's transport department, Bob Stanway; and officials from the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) took the media on a tour to show the progress of Rea Vaya.

Speaking before embarking on the tour, Moosajee said Rea Vaya was not just about transport, but was also a quality of life project.

"Rea Vaya is not intended to take [private] vehicles off the road. It is about providing good quality public transport to people who do not have a choice."

However, the City aims to get about 15 percent of private vehicle users on board.

A first for Joburg
There has been little historic investment in public transport in Joburg. With the completion of Rea Vaya Phase 1A it will, for the first time, have the beginnings of a world-class transport system. And Moosajee guarantees that it will have sufficient scale to serve the needs of the Confederations Cup.

Construction is going full steam ahead in Joubert Park
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

"We are concentrating on areas that will ensure the BRT can provide services around and between the key soccer stadiums ... namely Orlando Stadium and Ellis Park Stadium."

The main trunk route will run from Regina Mundi Church to Orlando Stadium in Soweto, and from there along Pat Mbatha Highway (formerly the Soweto Highway) and Nasrec Road, into the inner city.

Two loop routes in the inner city will link the stadiums by passing through Joubert Park. Ellis Park will be the key stadium for the Confederations Cup, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and two of the qualifying games.

Soweto will also have complementary routes joining the trunk system at Regina Mundi; at the intersection between Old Potch and Klipspruit roads; at Nancefield; and at the intersection of Klipspruit and Sofasonke roads.

First station
The first prototype Rea Vaya station will be in operation in October 2008. It will be located in Twist Street, Joubert Park, next to the existing Joubert Park Clinic. It will be a double-model station, as it will be able to accommodate two buses at the same time.

A state-of-the-art BRT control centre will be located at the Johannesburg Roads Agency building in Sauer Street. Passengers will use a fare system using smart card technology that will be bought before getting on a bus.

Stanway added that the City had done extensive research into diesel engines for the project, finally opting for a Euro 4 diesel engine, one of the cleanest on the market.

For the Confederations Cup, there will be 20 stations in total. A mix of buses, consisting of articulated and complementary buses, will travel along 25,5 kilometres of road.

"All buses and stations will be fully accessible to people with disabilities."

At the moment, construction is taking place at various roads throughout the inner city to make way for the BRT. Edith Cavell, just above Joubert Park in Hillbrow, will become a dedicated BRT and pedestrian road. It has been stripped and at present resembles a gravel road.

At many of the roads where work was being undertaken, essential services such as sewage and water pipes and electricity infrastructure first had to be relocated, said Claudia Mahlaule, the JDA development manager for the area. 

Other roads where residents can expect traffic disruptions are at Twist, Mooi, Smith, Wolmarans, Market and Commissioner in the inner city; and Old Potch, Klipspruit Valley, Sofasonke, Mooki and Pat Mbatha in Soweto. Work on these roads will be completed in April and May 2009.

The JDA will also beautify the areas along BRT routes with trees, benches, paving and new lighting fixtures.

Taxi involvement
There has been much speculation about the taxi industry and its involvement with Rea Vaya. There will only be one BRT bus operator company for Rea Vaya Phase 1A and five in total for the complete BRT project.

The pedestrian bridge on Pat Mbatha Road, just opposite Soccer City Stadium
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

Current stakeholders in public transport will have to join forces to become Rea Vaya shareholders.

Although the taxi industry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the City regarding the new system, this was "an agreement to further engage with the City, not an agreement to participate in the BRT", Moosajee stressed.

However, Johannesburg is confident that it will have everybody on board as the business model of the Rea Vaya is specifically geared to empower the taxi industry and other groups in the public transport sector.

"On economies of scale they [the taxi industry] understand that this project makes sense."

But Moosajee was adamant that the City would not be waiting for anyone - Rea Vaya was going ahead. "Can we wait until we get consensus? No we can't. We can't be held to ransom in our vision to improve the public transport system."

Engagements with the taxi industry are extensive and include a steering committee, a technical committee and the 18 taxi associations affected by the first phase of the project, with the City providing consulting and logistical support. This involvement also stretches to bus operators Metrobus and Putco.

"Our approach is we will not impose the system on the industry but we also have an obligation to improve the public transport industry for our residents."

With the BRT up and running, the new transport system will create 5 415 jobs. Just the first phase of Rea Vaya will create 51 000 jobs in the construction business, which excludes the manufacture and assembly of buses.

Construction schedule for Phase 1A:

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