The initial stage of the GO!Durban project is characterised by 4 corridors including rail. This phase is expected to be completed by 2018 and the network will accommodate:

Approximately 25% of the municipality’s total trunk public transport demand on road based IRPTN services

A further 40% by the trunk rail network as part of the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA) implementation plans

This approach ensures recognisable benefit to the maximum number of users in the shortest period of time for the given level of investment required. Of the 190km of road based trunk corridors, 60km are planned for the Phase 1.

EThekwini Municipality is aware of the march by members of the KZN Transport Alliance taking place in the Durban CBD today, 11/06/2014.

The public is assured that all the necessary security measures have been put in place by the Metro Police, SAPS Public Order Policing and Crime Intelligence to ensure that the march is peaceful.

The Municipality urges the event organisers to advise their members to refrain from vandalising Council property or causing any disturbances during the march.

The Municipality is aware of the issues that the KZN Transport Alliance is protesting about and wishes to respond to each issue as follows:

1. THE ISSUING OF OPERATING LICENCES

EThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) has been working closely with the KZN Department of Transport (KZNDoT) and its Public Regulatory Entity to take over the process and to have the licensing function devolved to the City. This project is driven by senior staff from both the City and the KZNDoT. Progress reports are being provided to the taxi industry structures. The City and KZNDoT engages with the taxi industry on this matter on a regular basis.

2. LAWS BEING IN ENGLISH

Law Enforcement Officers always explain to the drivers, in the language that they understand. In instances where a driver indicates that he/she does not understand English, the officers always get another officer to explain to the driver in a language that they understand.

Furthermore, drivers that are being charged have an opportunity to go to court to make a representation and challenge the fines in their own language.

The reality is that the drivers do not pay the admission of guilt or go to court to make a representation to challenge the offence they have been charged for, often resulting in them being in contempt of court and warrants of arrest being issued against them.

3. CITY SHUTTING THE ALLIANCE OUT

The allegation by the Alliance that the eThekwini Municipality is shutting them out is unfounded and a misrepresentation of facts. On 14 February 2014, the Municipality signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Taxi Industry.

The MOA spells out the principles as to how the Municipality and the Taxi industry will engage with the taxi operators so that they can be part of the GO!Durban project. The Chairperson of the Transport Alliance was one of the signatories of the MOA representing the Transport Alliance and the taxi Industry leadership structures who were the signatories of the MOA all have copies of the signed MOA.

The City, together with the taxi industry leadership and the taxi industry advisors that the City is providing to the taxi industry, is now preparing to convene roadshows and consultation workshops to the wider taxi industry members to make them aware and to understand the project and how they will participate in the project.

In terms of the National Land Transport Act, Act 5 of 2009, the City is the planning authority that has to plan, contract and regulate public transport services.

In the GO!Durban project, operations contracts will be negotiated between operating companies and the City and both bus and taxi operators coming together to form companies to be contracted to operate the different routes across the Municipality.

Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Head, Tozi Mthethwa.

Durban commuters using public transport can look forward to a swifter, more efficient and safer payment method as the deadline to change to a new cashless card system looms.

The bus coupons that have been used on the Durban Transport and Mynah busses since the early 90’s will be discontinued on 1 April 2014 and replaced with the Muvo Card – the city’s new cashless Smartcard. Muvo Cards will be the official integrated fare management system used on all public transport in the GO!Durban project.

“The card was launched in July 2012 and was gradually phased in across all regions” says Thami Manyathi, Head of the eThekwini Transport Authority. “This gradual approach enabled the project team to bed down operational and system teething problems and the system is now operating well with 32 000 commuters having already “moved over to Muvo.”

Muvo Cards are a progressive step towards modernising the current transport system. The card is a single Smartcard that can be used across all three of Durban’s primary bus lines: the Durban Transport, Mynah and People Mover busses. By loading cash to the Muvo Card, users are able to travel to central and greater Durban areas using the interchanging routes travelled by these buses. The card has been designed with two main choices, to either load cash or load specific trips.

For enquiries about the Muvo Card call  080 000 6886 or SMS your name and a short description of your question to the free of charge SMS line 44524 and one of our brand ambassadors will call you back.

For a full list of Muvo PayPoints visit the Muvo website: www.muvo.co.za and for the official press release please visit: https://godurban.co.za/category/media/

Memorandum of Agreement signed between eThekwini Municipality and the Minibus Taxi Operators

The eThekwini Municipality and the minibus taxi industry potentially affected by Phase 1 of the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) system have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement.

The initial consultations have been followed by an intensive year-long engagement process during which inter alia, the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was developed and agreed between the city and the minibus taxi industry leadership. The MOA represents the city’s policy of inclusivity and partnership with public transport operators and negotiated solutions for the city’s public transport challenges. The MOA also represents a firm commitment by all affected parties to meaningfully engage with one another in order to arrive at a mutually satisfactory position to achieve not only the goals of excellent service to passengers but also broad transformation within the public transport sector as a whole.

The minibus taxi industry and the bus operators play a key role in moving millions of citizens to and from various areas of social and economic activities. Therefore, in the implementation of the GO!Durban project, all the existing legal operators in the eThekwini Metropolitan area have a critical role to play. As the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Transport, we will be working with the city to ensure that the roll-out of this project and the participation of existing operators is implemented successfully as enshrined in the National Land Transport Act, the Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan approved by Cabinet in March 2007 as well as the White Paper on Transport Policy.

At the highly successful ceremony to sign the Memorandum of Agreement where all the regions were represented, the Chairperson of the eThekwini Metro Management Taxi Council, the Chairperson of the KZN Taxi Alliance and the President of the South African Taxi Workers Organisation all expressed support and hope that the GO!Durban project will bring benefits to their members.

For the full press release please visit:

Media