In response to the challenge of mobility and accessibility of rural masses, MEC for Transport, Roads and Public Works Thandiswa Marawu, launched the Eastern Cape Bus Operators Council on 26 April 2012 at Queenstown Town Hall.
The department said that this initiative is paving the way going forward and that the people of the Eastern Cape are going to hear less about taxis, buses and trains, instead they will talk about the public transport industry and it also calls upon all role players in these industries to be geared for this integrated approach and to start working together.
"To grace this occasion is indeed a great honour for me which is unveiling another milestone that will change the public transport landscape in the Eastern Cape – a province that is highly affected by the challenge of lack of access to public transport" added MEC Marawu.
"Today, we are witnessing another giant leap towards building unity and collaboration amongst our bus operators through the establishment of this council, which we believe will help to inculcate a new culture underpinned by business values and client focus", said MEC Marawu.
Furthermore the National Household Travel Survey gives a hint of the extent of the challenge of mobility and accessibility, particularly for the rural poor in the Eastern Cape and the sample was 8 509 households.
The survey revealed that in this province:
- Only 15.5% of households have access to a car
- After minibuses (15.9%) the most frequent mode of public transport used was not buses, or trains, but bakkie taxis (4.9%), which is the highest in the country
- 49.2% of trips were for educational purposes (by far the highest in the country) and 86.3% of these trips to school were walking trips
- 7% of learners take longer than one hour to get to school and almost 20% take more than 45 minutes, which is also affecting their ability to focus on studies
- 32% of households spend more than 10% and a shocking 23% are spending more than 20% of income on public transport
- 49% of households simply have no access to minibuses where they are staying.
These sobering statistics attest to the fact that there are still many challenges in seeking to transform colonial and apartheid spatial realities in our small towns, cities and countryside.
