Our WorkSouth Africa
ITDP began work in South Africa in the late 1990’s by bringing used bicycles and building small enterprise around bicycles dealers in townships, this effort expanded to bring in new bicycles while continuing to develop enterprise thorough Access Africa, these efforts continue today. Most recently ITPD has most supported the governments in Cape Town and Johannesburg to help them implement the first full Bus Rapid Transit systems on the continent.
Johannesburg’s BRT opened in August 2009. Rea Vaya, Sotho for “We are going,” carried 35,000 riders less than one year after opening. Cape Town’s MyCiti BRT system is almost complete and the system is scheduled to open in April 2011. It already has bike lanes running parallel to the BRT corridor.
The biggest challenge for BRT in South Africa has been the engagement and formalization of the existing public transport industry. ITDP has worked with the governments in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as with the minibus taxi leadership in each of these cities, to formalize the industry into companies that will operate the new systems, transforming potential adversaries into key allies. This transformation helps not only to quell the violence of an industry fearing obsolescence, but also brings a historically disadvantaged industry into the formal sector, where they can become competitive throughout Africa.
ITDP works in the following South African cities:
Cape Town
ITDP helped the City of Cape Town create a business plan and financial model for the city’s first BRT system, MyCiti. ITDP also brought its California Bike program to Cape Town.
Johannesburg
ITDP helped negotiate between city officials and minibus taxi operators, creating a partnership between the two sides to manage the new Bus Rapid Transit system, Rea Vaya, in a way that would allow for the modernization of Johannesburg’s transit system and provide for better economic opportunities for taxi operators.
Related Cities & Projects in South Africa
Related News
- San Francisco and Medellin win the 2012 Sustainable Transport AwardJanuary 25, 2012
- Sustainable Transport Award cities: Cape TownJanuary 19, 2012
- Transport for Sustainable Development: COP17 helps move the agenda forwardJanuary 5, 2012
- UNFCCC’s COP 17 begins in Durban, South AfricaNovember 29, 2011
- Nominate a City for the 2012 Sustainable Transport AwardsJuly 13, 2011
- MyCiTi buses start rolling in Cape TownMay 11, 2011
- Spotlight South AfricaMarch 22, 2011
- Johannesburg Taxi Operators Investment Companies take over Rea Vaya bus operationsFebruary 2, 2011
