Rea Vaya: South Africa's first bus rapid transit system

Commentary Page 1 of 3 AUTHORS: Emmanuel Adewumi1 Dhiren Allopi1 AFFILIATION: Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa 1 CORRESPONDENCE TO: Emmanuel Adewumi EMAIL: POSTAL ADDRESS: Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa Rea Vaya: South Africa’s first bus rapid transit system Rea Vaya: South Africa’s first bus rapid transit system Today, both the public and private transport sectors are facing challenges as a result of an increase in vehicle ownership and the suburbanisation of both firms and residences in the world. In the past, public transport was focused mainly on central areas of cities where high population and employment densities enabled frequent services, high occupancy rates and many routes. As growth is spreading to suburban areas from the metropolitan area, imperative challenges arise for public transport: to increase service in order to better serve commuters and to integrate suburban service with metropolitan service.1 Public transport must be made more attractive and user friendly in relation to improved service, travel information, reliability, safety and the upgrade of infrastructure such as waiting stations. Cost is an important factor that influences the demand for public transport in relation to the time spent waiting, boarding and alighting from vehicles coupled with the risks and inconveniences involved in those actions. It has also been suggested that commuters and business users board the fastest and most direct routes.2 Here we comment on the performance and maintenance of the Rea Vaya system – South Africa’s first bus rapid transit system – since its inception. Historical development of bus rapid transit vehicle manoeuvre; commuters; traffic congestion; dedicated lane; Johannesburg The large-scale development of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems started in Curitiba (Brazil) in 1974, before which there were several smaller-scale projects. After the success of an effective BRT in Curitiba, other cities were inspired to develop similar systems.3 In the 1970s, development of BRT systems was limited to the North and South American continents. In the late 1990s, the replication of the BRT concept gained momentum and BRT systems were opened in Quito, Ecuador (1996), Los Angeles, USA (1999) and Bogotá, Columbia (2000).4 The TransMilenio project in Bogotá started operation in 2000 and its success as a state-of-the-art BRT system drew attention from around the world. As of 2005, there were 70 such systems around the world, based on one definition of BRT.5,6 HOW TO CITE: National operating subsidies KEYWORDS: Adewumi E, Allopi D. Rea Vaya: South Africa’s first bus rapid transit system. S Afr J Sci. 2013;109(7/8), Art. #a0029, 3 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/ sajs.2013/a0029 Developing a business plan for a public transport system is difficult for any transport authority unless they know the rate of the operating subsidy that will be made available to them. At each metro or functional area, the existing level of subsidy should continue at the level currently allocated for bus subsidies. A judgement call must be made by the transport authority on which proportion of the subsidy will be allocated to catalytic initiative. In other words, the authority must plan for zero operating subsidy for the catalytic initiative as they have no control over the subsidy streams, which are in place because they applied to standard buses and rail.7 Bus rapid transit systems in South Africa Commuters in the Gauteng Province have been using the BRT system called ‘Rea Vaya’, which means ‘we are going’. It is the first of its kind in South Africa. Phase 1 of the BRT system, which linked Soweto to the centre of Johannesburg, came into effect on 30 August 2009. There are also functioning BRT systems in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria, and on-going implementation of such a system in Durban.8 Johannesburg’s bus rapid transit operation Rea Vaya has a capacity of up to 90 passengers on designated median lane trunk routes and currently conveys 16 000 passengers per day. Complementary buses collect passengers at Rea Vaya stations on the trunk routes and operate on the kerbside of the lane.9 The South African cabinet appropriated public transport in an integrated way in March 2007.10 With funding at hand to address the issues of infrastructure and vehicles, they embarked on a solution for the severe traffic congestion and persistent mobility problems of the nearly 1.5 million transport users in the city. The first corridor spans through a 25-km trunk line with median lanes, 27 trunk stations and feeder routes that link the CBD and Soweto, which is one of the busiest commuter corridors in the city.11 (For the route map see http://www.reavaya.org.za/ images/stories/2009pdfs/startermap-27aug09.pdf) On-site assessment © 2013. The Authors. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence. South African Journal of Science http://www.sajs.co.za We assessed the performance of the system and its possible pros and cons on-site using a checklist (Table 1). The Rea Vaya BRT system makes use of a median bidirectional BRT lane configuration which is located in the middle of the roadway, as an exclusive right-of-way with pavement and lane markings, intersection road markings and stud separators (10 cm). The stud separators serve to separate the other traffic to avoid vehicle manoeuvre. It has distinctive branding in the form of markings on the vehicle that differentiate it from other public transport systems. The standard bus is fitted with low-emission technology, bi-fold doors at both sides and multiple entrances for boarding and alighting. 1 Volume 109 | Number 7/8 July/August 2013 Commentary Page 2 of 3 Table 1: Rea Vaya: South Africa’s first bus rapid transit system Checklist for the assessment of the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system Present Lane configuration Basic separator cones Pavement marking 10-cm separator blocks/studs 50-cm separator blocks/studs Kerbside lane configuration Segregated lane configuration Median lane configuration √ √ √ Bus colouration/ road markings Intersection roadmarking Lane marking Bus way with fully coloured way Distinctive BRT identity and image Distinctive marketing identity for the system Landscaping Cycle paths/footpaths Tree planting and grassing Additional park or civic improvement Integration with other modes at stations/terminals Bicycle parking at stations/terminals Formal taxi stands at stations/terminals Car parking at stations/terminals Intelligent Transportation System Real-time information display Connection to the control room Audio announcements on BRT buses Incorporation of schedule data into station electronic information systems Updates of schedules and maps at stops Adaptations of existing transit signal infrastructure Maps and information Maps at station Inf (...truncated)