Saboa conference unpacks public transport condition, complexities

Nonprofit industry member organisation the South African Bus Operators Association’s (Saboa's) yearly conference, held last week under the theme 'Sustainability of the Bus Industry', entailed a detailed look at the country’s bus, public transport and associated industries, exploring challenges and laws impacting these.

On the topic of scholar transport, Department of Transport director Elmon Maake said government would be prioritising the inclusion of learners with disabilities in transport moving forward. 

Department of Transport Contract and Subsidy Management director Tshifhiwa Mudzielwana outlined progress on the development of the National Public Transport Subsidy Policy, which aimed to introduce outcomes-based planning for integrated public transport.

He informed that the draft policy was gazetted on February 23, and closed on April 30.

Mudzielwana said Saboa’s comments had been received and all inputs that had been received were being considered and would be responded to.

He indicated that the National Economic Development and Labour Council resolved to subject the draft policy to its internal process, which included setting up a three-a-side task team. The draft task team terms of reference had been developed.

The final draft will be submitted to Cabinet.

City of Cape Town Safety and Security commissioner Petrus Roberts emphasised the importance of collaboration to address the issues of violence and intimidation in the taxi and bus industry, and to ensure safety.

He posited that there should be a six-pillar approach for safety and security.

These pillars are intelligence gathering, analysis and coordination; a proactive approach; combat and reaction approach; reaction through detection, including organised crime; communication and liaison; and operational coordination.

Meanwhile, Department of Tourism integrated policy and sector planning director Senzo Nkala underlined the importance of transport to the tourism product, and its use in facilitating ease of access for travellers.

He said that, as envisioned by the National Tourism Sector Strategy, the integration of all modes of transport would be a pivotal enabler of tourism as it linked visitors with products, attractions and services.

Moreover, travel should be facilitated by improving private and public transport for tourists, and identifying actions to support their movement. 

In an update on negotiated contracts, Larimar Group executive director Thys Heyns warned that the bus industry had been plagued by a “dysfunctional funding model” that had not conformed to statutes since 2009 and had, therefore, resulted in severe underfunding of bus contracts.

Heyns explained that the funding model, as set out in statutes, should entail the primary sources of funding for bus contracts to be from the budget of the contracting authority (province or municipality); and the supplementary source from the Public Transport Operations Grant (PTOG).

According to Heyns, the funding problem of bus contracts was not that the PTOG allocations of yearly increases were inadequate, but rather, it was the “continued failure and refusal” of provinces to fulfil their statutory duty to budget for and fund any shortfalls in the funding of their bus contracts.

Heyns averred that provinces “hide behind the PTOG as inadequate” and they limit the yearly subsidy escalations and subsidy allocations to the PTOG.

He pointed out that in previous meetings between Saboa and National Treasury, this obligation had been admitted and confirmed.

Heyns warned that the ongoing failure of provinces and other local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty had caused “untold damage” to the bus industry since 2009.

He outlined that it was one of the main reasons for the 20-year-long stalemate in bus contracts; it impacted the contracting systems and blocked the move to negotiated and tendered contracts; it placed a “superficial and unnecessary” cap on the growth of the bus public transport; and it kept bus companies struggling for survival.

Heyns called on new Transport Minister Barbara Creedy to recognise and address this problem urgently. He said that was this not done, the bus sector might have to take this matter to the courts for a declaratory order, to force provinces to comply with the laws governing their funding obligations.

Also, Alta Swanepoel and Associates owner Alta Swanepoel provided an update on the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) Amendment Bill and a legislative update. 

She pointed out that many requirements in legislation needed to be updated, with old provisions from the 1966 Ordinances still in the legislation.

Also, certain provisions such as regulations for accident reporting and miscellaneous fees for road traffic matters were not in legislation, she averred. 

Swanepoel also said that the South African National Standards specifications and the NRTA were not always in sync.