Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi aims to have the Gauteng Transport Authority (GTA) in place before the 2019 national and provincial elections, which could see his tenure come to an end.

The GTA will be a legally constituted public transport authority with legal powers, reaching across Gauteng’s three major cities, namely Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

The GTA, once formed, could focus on, besides others, centralised public transport planning; the sharing of data; the development of common timetables among transport modes; the development of a single eticket; holistic route planning; securing the necessary public transport subsidies and funding; eliminating inefficiencies and service duplications; determining common norms and standards; and negotiating and enforcing public transport permits.

The formation of the GTA, however, requires legislation that is not yet in place.

Vadi says the formation of the GTA remains “an urgent administrative task”.

He notes that it is not feasible for each city to operate its public transport systems in isolation of its neighbours.

People in Gauteng commuted across city borders daily.

“We need to see the system in totality.”

Vadi said earlier this year that he had hoped to sign an in-principle agreement with the province’s three major municipalities on the formation of a GTA before the local government elections, held on August 3.

However, this did not happen.

Vadi and his department now have to unite two municipalities that the ANC has lost to a DA-EFF alliance – Tshwane and Johannesburg – with the remaining metro of Ekurhuleni still controlled by the ANC.

Vadi says the formation of the GTA should not be a political matter.

“We must take a nonpolitical view of what is desirable and necessary to coordinate public transport as a whole in the province.”

He notes that the largest daily movement of people in Gauteng is between Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.

“How can Johannesburg manage this on its own?”

Vadi says he has met with the various new mayoral councils.

“I had no sense of opposition [to the GTA] from the DA.”