transport
28 August 2006
Gauteng MEC for Public Transport, Roads and Works, Ignatius Jacobs,
expressed his support to the new Gauteng Commuter Organisation (GCO), launched
on Friday, 25 August 2006.
The launch of a united and strong commuter organisation in Gauteng signalled
a new chapter for public transport and communities in partnership with
government.
As government we are confident that this will help our province to achieve
an integrated public transport system that would be accessible, affordable,
reliable, safe, and environmentally friendly, so as to address the
socio-economic needs of Gauteng.
It is a partnership aimed at responding to and addressing the need for a
strong and united voice for commuters through the launch of a mass based GCO.
We also seek to collectively stem the tide of the rising cost of fuel on
commuters and to reduce the economic cost of congestion on public transport, in
particular, and transport in general.
The department is finalising a new Commuter Subsidy for Gauteng. This seeks
to redress the historic imbalance of public transport subsidy that does not
take account of the fact that most commuters of public transport in the
province use taxis.
Only a fraction of Gauteng commuters use either bus or rail services in
Gauteng but these enjoy the benefits of a government subsidy. On the other
hand, the majority complement does not enjoy any form of subsidy. Therefore, we
need a subsidy system that is biased towards the majority of public transport
users, especially the poor, to work together with operators dealing effectively
with the challenges in rail, bus and the taxi industry and to equally spread
the services amongst commuters.
The new commuter subsidy will help in creating a socio-economic safety net
and building social capital, promoting public transport and therefore creating
more jobs and reducing poverty.
A Commuter Charter for Gauteng will be finalised and adopted soon. We intend
to launch this Charter during public transport month in October.
GCO is a platform on which to further advocate for a twinning of transport
planning with densification strategies in order to address challenges of the
urban sprawl, ensuring effective land use on transport infrastructure
development, and promoting public transport and pedestrian friendly roads.
This new giant organisation has been formed, and it includes the existing
commuter organisations and ward transport officers in the province. On Friday,
a constitution as well as a programme of action was adopted.
The role of the department with respect to the GCO is that of building
capacity for commuters to take centre stage on issues of public transport.
We invite the new GCO to join the Transport Forum and to continue to make
their contribution in further strengthening this platform and its work.
For more information contact:
Alfred Nhlapo
Tel: (011) 355 7553
Cell: 083 376 8496
E-mail: alfredn@gpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
28 August 2006
Source: SAPA
