Rea Vaya spurs local manufacturing

Ireen Magwai

Buses for the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) in the City of Johannesburg are now manufactured locally, creating much-needed jobs.

Johannesburg Mayor Parks Tau announced this at the launch of the new Rea Vaya Phase 1B route which runs from Noordgesig in Soweto to Ellis Park Stadium in Doornfontein. “During construction about 9 300 jobs were created and for each job that is created in construction, about another two are created elsewhere in South Africa in areas such as cement production,” said Mayor Tau. He added that the city had taken a deliberate decision to delay the procurement of buses to ensure that local content of buses could be maximised.

Under the theme of “Living in the corridors of freedom of a caring city”, the mayor launched the new route which takes commuters via some key public hospitals like Rahima Moosa, Helen Joseph and Charlotte Maxeke as well as private hospitals such as the Brenthurst and Park Lane Clinic.

It also goes pass educational institutions like the University of Johannesburg (Doornfontein, Bunting Road, Kingsway and Soweto campuses) Wits University, Milpark College, John Orr’s College, Parktown Boys High School, Randpark High School, Helpmekaar Hoërskool and the National School of the Arts.

The new Rea Vaya Phase 1B services will use 134 new buses. However, only 57 buses will be used at the start of operations.

Rea Vaya is South Africa’s first and leading Bus Rapid Transit system. It has grown immensely since it began operating in 2009.