Pretoria - The City of Johannesburg’s new Rea Vaya bus system route is set to be operational on October 14.
The new route will run from Soweto and pass through Noordegesig, New Canada, Pennyville, Bosmont, Coronationville, Newclare, Westbury, Westdene, Melville, Auckland Park and Parktown, and it will link to the CBD.
This follows the announcement made by the city’s executive mayor, Parks Tau, during his State of the City Address in Johannesburg earlier this year, where he emphasised that Rea Vaya was one of the key catalysts of transit orientated development and of developing “corridors of freedom” in the city.
For the average Joburg resident, the option to live in close proximity to public transport facilities with easy access to the city and to make use of an improved transport system will be a life-changing experience.
Through these corridors of freedom, the city will be able to reverse apartheid spatial planning as well as reduce structural unemployment and poverty that has been created by denying job seekers easy and affordable access to work opportunities close to where they live.
The extension of the bus transit route, which has the potential to carry 40 000 more passengers daily, is likely to be received with great excitement.
The faster, safer and cost-effective Rea Vaya bus service has been exceeding its daily target of transporting 80 000 passengers daily.
The new services will be using 134 new buses, which have also been manufactured locally. Residents and students will be able to travel to universities and hospitals much easier with Rea Vaya.
The introduction of the Rea Vaya smart card is another innovation that commuters can use to pay for travel easily and safely.
As Rea Vaya continues to be implemented, integration with other modes of transport will become more central.
The Phase 1C plan includes the construction of three larger scale multi-modal interchanges at Sandton, Westgate and Pan Africa in Alexandra to enable passengers to transfer between the Gautrain, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), Metrobus, mini bus and metered taxi modes.
The construction of dedicated bus routes will be a significant upgrading of roads and pathways for cycling and pedestrians, especially in Alexandra, Wynberg, Marlboro and the Sandton CBD. - SAnews.gov.za
