A minibus taxi in Johannesburg.

Sustainable public transport moving forward in Johannesburg

A new vision of effective and sustainable transport for Johannesburg (South Africa) is moving forward in anticipation of the 2010 World Cup.

A 94-kilometre bus rapid transit system will have a North-South corridor, connecting Sunninghill to Soweto, with service to the central business district, and an East-West route connecting Sandton, Randburg, and Alexandria. The new system is to be called Rea Vaya.

The system, being supported by the Clinton Climate Initiative, will incorporate the existing minibus taxi industry into the new system as private operators. During apartheid, the minibus taxi industry was one of the few places where black South Africans were able to invest. After the African National Congress took power, in order to prevent the creation of powerful mafias, no owner was allowed to own more than ten vehicles. Because of their quasi-legal status, these minibus fleets could never become formal sector businesses.

Currently, Johannesburg has one public bus operator and one private bus operator, both of which are subsidized by the municipality, and many small fleets of minibus taxis that are not subsidized. Rea Vaya will encourage the existing minibus operators to form themselves into legal companies that will bid on the operating contracts, putting them on a level playing field with the current bus operators.

The long-term vision is to develop a system that places over 85 percent of Johannesburg’s population within 500 meters of a Rea Vaya trunk or feeder corridor.

Private and commercial vehicles are a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. Reducing vehicle use and using alternative forms of transportation and alternative fuels are some approaches to reducing these vehicular emissions. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Johannesburg is one of 38 local governments in Africa that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Africa, please visit www.iclei.org/africa.