Integration is key for public transport in Johannesburg, and in the future the taxi industry will be known as a multimodal public transport industry, a Transport Week Indaba hears.

GDS2040

THE face of public transport in Joburg is expected to change radically in the future, according to Eric Motswane, the director of corporate affairs of PioTrans, the bus operating company of Rea Vaya phase 1A.

He was speaking at a seminar held at the Apartheid Museum in Ormonde, hosted by the City. It focused on transformation in public transport, economic empowerment, employment equity and opportunities in the sector for small, medium and micro enterprises.

Held on 8 September during Transport Week, it was part of the Growth and Development Strategy (GDS) consultation. Transport Week ran from 4 to 9 September, and was one of nine themes for the City's GDS2040 outreach.

Motswane said the City would implement future phases of the Bus Rapid Transit system and other modes of transport as technology in the motor industry advanced. "In the years to come the taxi industry will become known as a multimodal public transport industry."

He said transformation of the taxi industry and co-operation with the government and other stakeholders was not negotiable and should continue. "It is important to establish good working relationships with the government and move ahead."

Eric Motsweni: Face of public transport to change radically in the near future

Motswane explained that more than 300 taxi owners had formed nine companies and took ownership of the first BRT bus operating company, PioTrans. "Close to 600 minibus taxis were removed from operations on the routes between Soweto and Johannesburg. Some 300 to 400 job opportunities were created and implemented, mostly from the taxi industry."

He noted that colleagues from the taxi industry were approaching former taxi operators involved in the phase 1A operations for clarity on and interpretation of future Rea Vaya phases.

TRANSFORMTATION

The seminar was opened by the member of the mayoral committee for transportation, Rehana Moosajee, who urged delegates to find a collective vision for the future of transport in Joburg. "Transformation requires courage because people will always put barriers in your way or make sure that you fail," she said.

Other speakers at the seminar included Eddy Gadema, from Steward Scott International; Diana Mafada, of Mafada Properties; and Allyson Lawless, of the South African Institute of Civil Engineering.

Lawless spoke about a desperate shortage of skills in the civil engineering sector. "Unless the standard of education and training from kindergarten to retirement is adequate, competence in engineering can never be achieved," she pointed out.

MMC Rehana Moosajee is playing a vital role in changing the face of public transport in the city

Several aspects required attention from English and mathematics in schools all the way through to tertiary education, graduate training, working conditions and continuing professional development, said Lawless.

To qualify for university entry to read civil engineering, matriculants needed to get As, Bs or Cs in higher grade maths. "Few achieve this and competition for this select group is fierce from many other engineering disciplines," she said.

Many South African universities also did not have the budget to support learners in engineering. "We need to give mainline support to engineering students throughout their studies."

Then, once they had graduated, new entrants to the workplace faced many more challenges before they became technically competent and could progress in their careers, she added.

Other issues that were examined in the seminar included investment in the taxi industry, the use of emerging contractors in large scale projects, and how public transport operators could partner with the city.

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