Skip to main content

South Africa to upgrade public transport

Speaking at the launch of South Africa’s 2013 Transport Month, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters pledged to spend more than US$500 million on planning, building and operating integrated public transport networks in more than thirteen cities in the country. The major cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town have already constructed over 20 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes. Both cities will expand operations to carry up to 100 thousand passengers a day on each system, while the bus rapid transport system in Joh
October 2, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Speaking at the launch of South Africa’s 2013 Transport Month, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters pledged to spend more than US$500 million on planning, building and operating integrated public transport networks in more than thirteen cities in the country.

The major cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town have already constructed over 20 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes. Both cities will expand operations to carry up to 100 thousand passengers a day on each system, while the bus rapid transport system in Johannesburg is also set to expand. A second phase is to open in the next two weeks, providing a link between hospitals, universities and sports facilities in the city.

"One of the instruments that we are looking at is the intermodal automated ticketing system that would then allow for integration of the different transport and networks," said the transport minister.

Peters praised the country’s road network, but admitted that maintenance of the roads does not come cheap, saying the country needs to spend US$2.9 million a year on just maintaining them, but at the moment can only spend US$2.9 million on both maintenance and new construction

The minister also said that from 2015, the government will be looking at upgrading passenger trains through the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), and US$1.2 million will also be pumped into rehabilitating coaches and the signalling system.

Related Content

  • MaaS transit does Dallas
    October 22, 2018
    What started five years ago as a mobile ticketing app is evolving towards a full MaaS offering for the US city of Dallas, Texas. Colin Sowman finds out why and how. When it was launched in September 2013, GoPass was the first multimodal, multi-agency transit fare payment app in the US. Introduced by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart), GoPass combines a mobile ticketing app with a trip planning function and it is also accepted by Trinity Railway Express, Trinity Metro and the Denton County Transportation
  • IRD polishes WiM’s green credentials
    December 21, 2020
    A project in Canada is proving that Weigh in Motion can have a positive environmental impact, by helping to reduce emissions. Adam Hill looks at International Road Dynamics’ numbers
  • New Zealand looks to World Congress for partners and solutions
    October 12, 2016
    New Zealand’s Minister of Transport, Energy and Safety, Simon Bridges has brought a clear message to ITS World Congress: “We are open for business”. He said the country’s regulatory regime is “as enabling as any in the world” for testing technology including driverless cars and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).
  • ITS adaptions enhance cycle safety in Dublin
    December 3, 2013
    Enabled and enforced by innovative use of ITS, Dublin’s new off-road cycle route is proving a hit with commuters, leisure cyclists and walkers alike as Brendan O’Brien explains. Dublin City Council’s vision is to create a city where people of all ages and abilities have the confidence, incentive and facilities to cycle. On-road cycle lanes had already been incorporated into the Quality Bus Corridors design and there is a mix of on- and off-road cycle routes. However, in 2010 the Council began work on a new