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 as Rea Vaya in 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, the BRT programme 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.

“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.

“So they frustrated this project, except for Cape Town and, to some extent, Johannesburg,” he said.

He also pointed to Durban’s Go!Durban project as an example of infrastructure that was completed but never fully implemented.

“Its infrastructure was laid out completely, but at the point when they were required to procure buses, they were unable to implement it. It has been ready infrastructurally, but they are unable to procure buses.”

Selamolela said the government is concerned that some projects have not delivered sufficient value despite significant public investment.

“We have spent far above R1bn in eThekwini, but as we speak, there is no bus on the road. We have spent a lot of money in Rustenburg, but as we speak, there is nothing on the road.”

He added that poor monitoring and oversight contributed to the situation.

“You can’t have a situation where you put R100m or R200m into a project and only realise five or 10 years later that the project is not yielding results. It can’t be.”

Selamolela acknowledged that Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya has shown more positive results than some other projects.

“At least what gives us comfort is that there is consistency. Every day you move from Soweto to Johannesburg, you see the buses moving and serving a purpose,” he said.

However, he added that even the better-performing systems still face sustainability challenges that the government wants to address through a new funding model.

The departments of transport and finance are expected to develop alternative funding proposals and present them to parliament.

“We are waiting for them to come back and say, now that we have withdrawn the previous method, this is how we think we must go again,” Selamolela said.

For now, he reiterated, commuters should not fear an immediate shutdown of BRT services.

“The buses are not going anywhere. The responsibility of providing safe, affordable, efficient and effective public transport remains with the government.”

Sowetan