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Joburg has shown off its BRT bus, giving people a chance to have a say on its design, from colour schemes to seating.
Member of the mayoral committee for transport Rehana Moosajee opens proceedings
THE prototype Rea Vaya bus has everyone in awe. Like a well-trained camel, it "kneels", lowering its chassis about eight centimetres closer to the ground. Now the infirm and elderly need only take a short, easy step from the kerb to get into the vehicle.
And in the centre of the bus, a man in a wheelchair is safely brought inside using the bus's mechanical lift.
"Ah," says the crowd, and everyone spontaneously starts to clap.
Prototype
Shown for the first time to the public at the Rea Vaya station in Joubert Park, people had two days in which to get the "look and feel" of the City's new public transport bus system.
On 11 and 12 February, City councillors, university students, disabled people, commuter organisations and the taxi steering committee, among others, were invited to view the bus and have their say on the final interior design.
Opening the proceedings on the first day, Rehana Moosajee, the member of the mayoral committee for transport, said the public participation process was so important to the department that it would even postpone final delivery so that Joburgers could have their say.
"Collectively we intend to deliver to make Joburg a world-class African city."
After being taken on a quick tour of the bus - which will be deployed along the complementary routes of the City's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system - everyone had the chance to vote on different grab-rail colours, the flooring, seat colour and type of seating.
Being in London
Shirley Mofokeng from Soweto was bubbling over with excitement. "As a senior citizen, I never dreamed of being in London here in South Africa."
Stanley Morgan tries out the wheelchair lift
The bus and station was way above what she had expected it to be, she admitted.
"We [as councillors] must educate the community to look after this baby. This is really beautiful."
A fourth-year town planning student from the University of Pretoria, Phumi Hlabangane, said she and fellow students were bowled over by the project. "It is on a par with overseas. It is really impressive."
Joburg's Rea Vaya is pulling out all the stops to get the latest high-tech specifications on board. To reduce the "dwell time" - the time the bus takes to stop at a station - a guidance system is being looked into to guide and speed up the procedure at the station.
Green light
The City is also looking into a system whereby traffic lights are activated to turn green as soon as the bus is near. This will be done through the Rea Vaya control room in Martindale.
"Priority will always be given to the buses, that's a given," confirmed Simphiwe Ntuli, the director for transport planning and regulation in the City.
And the on-board GPS (global positioning system) will ensure that the buses remain exactly on time. If a bus is falling behind slightly the control room will inform the driver to speed up; if it is ahead of schedule, the driver will be told to slow down.
Ntuli said the operating company would be penalised if it did not follow the bus schedules to the letter. The same went for any damage caused to the bus, or if it did not comply with safety and cleanliness standards.
"Actually, it's all about punctuality, reliability and safety. We [the City] will not compromise."
Complementary buses will be able to operate along the dedicated BRT bus lanes as well as on normal city roads. They will take approximately 71 passengers, with dedicated seating for the infirm, elderly, pregnant women and one wheelchair user. They will have on-board CCTV cameras, audio-visual display systems and electronic doors on both sides.
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