The opening of the brand new Setsoto Public Transport Centre - courtesy of the Department of Police, Roads and Transport (DPRT) - brings great relief for commuters to and from Ficksburg and Lesotho.
Gone are the days commuters have to slog through mud and stand in searing sun, flooding rain or even severe snow to board a taxi or bus. The new premises next to the border post signifies a new era were commuters can only walk a short distance to board a bus or, alternatively, a taxi as taxis and busses now share the same premises, minimising transfer times.
The National Minister of Transport, Honourable Dipuo Peters, officially opened the new R14 million facility on 24 October 2013.
“The successful completion of the centre is testament to government’s commitment of maximising the contribution of transport to the economic and social development goals of our country through providing fully integrated transport operations and infrastructure.
The importance of the taxi industry cannot be underestimated as it employs over 600 000 people and taxis transport an average of 15 million commuters every day. This figure equals between 60 – 70% of all daily commuters,” she said.
She also reiterated that the safety of both commuters and drivers is a concern to government. If there are no adequate public transport centres available, drivers and commuters are vulnerable and exposed to a number of dangers. “We cannot compromise the safety of our people,” Hon. Peters said.
A total of 430 jobs were created during the project and 66% of the jobs were awarded to youth. In total 144 women were also employed in the project.
The MEC for Police, Roads and Transport, Hon. Butana Komphela, said because mobility is so critical for people to be able to access jobs, a transport system that functions well helps to grow the economy by providing dependable public transport that supports a stable workforce. It also enhances productivity by minimising unduly long travel times because of traffic congestion due to poor transport planning and infrastructure.
This Setsoto facility meets the demands for public transport to be successful, inter alia:
- safety
- reliability
- effectiveness
- efficiency
- improved levels of accessibility, mobility and quality of life
- support for economic and social upliftment
- economic and environmental sustainability.
MEC Butana Komphela also said the official opening of the facility is a sign of the ANC-led government’s commitment to the process of urban regeneration which will sustain the ongoing growth and development of our rural areas.
He also promised to speed up the process to multi-skill traffic officers to equip them to intensify law enforcement and address problem areas, e.g. overloading and un-roadworthy vehicles, with renewed vigour. Improved revenue collection, implementation of augmented road safety- and traffic control systems are also areas to be addressed.
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