LISTEN | EXPLAINER: What government’s phasing out of BRT funding means for commuters

The government’s decision to gradually withdraw grant funding from Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems has sparked concern among commuters who rely on services such asRea Vayain Johannesburg, A Re Yeng in Tshwane and MyCiTi in Cape Town. However, chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on transport Donald Selamolela says commuters should not panic because whatever intervention they make does not mean they are going to close the bus services. Here is what you need to know about how this will affect commuters: According to Selamolela, theBRTprogramme was introduced ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup as part of the government’s efforts to create an integrated public transport system.

The aim was for taxis, buses and trains to complement one another while providing affordable transport for commuters travelling between townships, schools, workplaces and economic centres. Large-scale infrastructure was subsequently developed in cities including Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town, Durban, Rustenburg, Polokwane and Buffalo City. Selamolela said the government initially expected BRT systems to eventually become financially sustainable.

“The idea was that this project, at some point, would be able to sustain itself and make money of its own for operations. But now, after so many years, the government realises this is not happening,” he said. Many projects remain dependent on government grants while failing to deliver the expected outcomes, he explained.

[paywall]

“The government realised we’re not getting what we wanted to get out of this thing. There’s poor performance on the project itself, and there’s poor performance on the money that we’re putting into this thing. So it became a liability towards government coffers.” Selamolela said several projects encountered resistance from sections of the taxi industry that feared losing business.

[/paywall]