MEC Ismail Vadi on new Gauteng Transport Authority Bill

Vadi introduces bill to set up Gauteng Transport Authority

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Ismail Vadi, today introduced the Gauteng Transport Authority Bill (2018) before the Portfolio Committee on Roads and Transport in the provincial legislature.

He said that a legally constituted transport authority will transform the current fragmentation of public transport governance and better co-ordinate public transport operations in the province.

“The department aims to develop a modern integrated, efficient and sustainable transport and road infrastructure  system. A strategic intervention is the establishment of a transport authority to facilitate integrated planning and co-ordination of public transport in the Gauteng city region,” said Vadi.

The proposed provincial transport authority will be a juristic entity that will be established through provincial legislation. The Bill provides for the establishment, functions and control of the transport authority as a provincial public entity.

Vadi said that the proposed legislation provides for the management of the transport authority; the appointment, functions and conditions of service of the Board, and the funding of the authority. Its core responsibility will be to co-ordinate the planning, integration and enforcement of public transport operations in the province.

Vadi noted that the National Development Plan (2030) supported the concept of a transport authority in city regions:

Government policy is to devolve transport management to local government. This will help align the fragmented and conflicting interests of multiple transport authorities, each with separate funding mandates. However, handing responsibility for transport over to municipal authorities will only succeed if it is accompanied by strengthening of institutions and alignment of legislation, policy and practice. Wheremetropolitan municipalities are adjacent, a regional transport authority may be appropriate to support integration, which prioritises harmonising transportation efforts within its city region.

Similarly, the Gauteng provincial government’s 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan calls for new institutional arrangements to manage an expanding and complex public transport system. It states:

What these plans suggest is that as we continue to build and expand our public transport system, particularly at municipal level, we must ensure that we establish adequate managerial and institutional capabilities to run a modernised, efficient and integrated public transport system in the Gauteng city-region.

It goes without saying that a legally constituted public transport authority requires an appropriate policy and legislative framework; suitable institutional arrangements and adequate funding instruments.

The proposed Gauteng Transport Authority should as a minimum assume the responsibility for the following:

  • Integrated planning across local boundaries, which will include the co ordination between local government and the setting of norms and standards (i.e. infrastructure, facilities, amenities, rollingstock and equipment);
  • The roadbased public transport function that should include contracting and management of subsidised contracts; and
  • Transport enforcement associated with regulation and control of roadbased public transport operations.

 

The Gauteng Transport Authority will be governed by a Board of Directors, which will be broadly representative of the authorities it is co-ordinating and transport specialists.

A 12-member Board will be composed of a mix of public representatives and/or delegates from the province, metropolitan municipalities and district municipalities, and publicly nominated members having expertise in transport planning; transport infrastructure  development; road-based and rail transport operations; transport economics; intelligent transport systems; non-motorised transport; and legal, financial management and human resource management.

The Chief Executive Officer will be an ex officio member of the Board.

For more information, contact
Ms Melitah Madiba
Cell: 073 644 9935

Province
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