Rea Vaya has landed an award from the International Association of Public Transport, which has applauded its success.

Promoting public transport

AS young as it is, the success of the City's Bus Rapid Transit system, Rea Vaya,is being noted by the rest of the world.

Preceding its 1 000 000 commuter intake in March, the bus system was honoured with an Encouragement Award at the Public Transport Congress by the International Association of Public Transport (UIPT) in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The award, made last week, was to encourage and applaud the bus company for promoting the use of public transport in a big city like Joburg, according to Rea Vaya's infrastructure manager, Wonder Matshiga.

It was competing against the Gautrain and other African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya.

"This award is a tribute to the leadership role that the Executive Mayor of Joburg has played in making the Rea Vaya a reality during his term of office," said Rehana Moosajee, MMC for Transportation in the City of Joburg.

"We are thrilled to receive this award in recognition of our role as a leader in Africa on public transport," she added.

Rea Vaya buses transport an average of over 30 000 thousand people to and from work each day. The buses give residents in the southern part of Johannesburg direct access to the inner city and surrounding areas. Joburg CBD employees, residents and students in the Inner also have access to the C3 buses that run in to opposite directions in the City.

The buses run at regular intervals on dedicated lanes, helping to combat traffic congestion and improve the quality of public transport. The efficiently run system has led some private car owners to park their cars in Soweto and rather take a Rea Vaya bus to the Joburg.

In addition, the Rea Vaya buses are the cleanest on the continent, running on low-sulphur diesel with the most advanced pollution reduction equipment. They reduce nitrous oxides, the most dangerous health risk from vehicular emissions, by thousands of tons a year and particulate matter by hundreds of tons annually.

At the 59th annual UIPT congress, which ran from 9 to 14 April, delegates discussed their vision ofdoubling the use of public transport by 2025. It also provided great opportunities for cities to learn from each other.

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