Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo on Tuesday launched the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT), which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Johannesburg.
Masondo said the BRT, also known as Rea Vaya, would introduce a network of buses travelling along dedicated bus ways with bus stations situated every 500m.
The buses would operate at intervals of between one to three minutes during peak hours. They would operate between 5am and midnight.
”The BRT will give us the opportunity to place all the key players in the industry within a single operational structure, and to do so without the need for operational subsidies,” said Masondo.
The new system, with an initial budget of R2-billion, is expected to be running by 2010.
The system was also being planned for Tshwane, the Nelson Mandela metropole and Cape Town. — Sapa