Three new routes have been added to the Gautrain midibus system, from the Gautrain Marlboro station to Kelvin, Buccleuch and Greenstone Mall.
The new routes were opened on September 17, but were officially launched on Monday at the Marlboro station by Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi.
“Since the start of operations three weeks ago, the ridership on these routes has shown that there is huge demand for this service in these areas with a total number of passengers reaching just over 1 000 during the first week of operations,” said Vadi.
The Gautrain midibus is part of the Gautrain Management Agency’s (GMA’s) efforts to facilitate partnerships and integration of the taxi industry into the Gautrain system.
Vadi indicated that the participation of the taxi industry in the Gautrain system facilitates job creation and structures participating taxi entities into sustainable businesses that provide a scheduled, safe and reliable public transport service.
The GMA launched the midibus service in 2011. It currently operates at the Marlboro, Sandton, Centurion and Hatfield Gautrain stations and the operation is run by the taxi industry in Tshwane and Alexandra.
“The entire Gautrain midibus service currently transports more than 18 000 commuters monthly and has also proven to be successful in improving accessibility and serves as an extension to the Gautrain system,” enthused Vadi.
The GMA plans to further extend the midibus service to the entire Gautrain network using geographical information system-based technologies to plan future public transport services with the taxi industry.
“The Gauteng provincial government’s goal is to make public transport more accessible, convenient and integrated. Gautrain’s midibus service is one of the many efforts of ensuring a successful implementation of an integrated transport system in our province,” Vadi emphasised.
He indicated that South Africa’s public transport system is only integrated on a “rudimentary” level and that endeavours such as this, therefore, present a micro model of a working concept that can be built on.
Vadi said the number of commuters using the midibus service has steadily increased. This growth is attributed to the planning interventions and the improvement of operational efficiencies of the Gautrain system implemented by the GMA.
“Public transport links and integrates whole communities and facilitates the seamless movement of people, goods and services. It also helps us to re-fashion geography and spatially reconfigure the Gauteng City Region along the five development corridors identified by the provincial government,” said Vadi.