Rea Vaya buses back on the road, without feeder buses [VIDEO]

Rea Vaya bus services resumed on Wednesday morning after they were suspended on Monday.

The bus services were halted on Monday after buses were intercepted by unidentified individuals.

City of Johannesburg MMC for Transport, Kenny Kunene, said that some buses were stopped by taxi operators due to having registration plates from other provinces, which is an infringement of the law.

Watch Kenny Kunene speaking about the resumption of Rea Vaya bus services

Resumption of services

Kunene said that services are expected to resume on Wednesday following what he termed a “productive meeting” with leaders of the taxi industry in Soweto.

“All other 60 Rea Vaya busses will continue to operate. The only buses that are not going to operate are the 45 feeder buses. We thank you for your patience to resolve this matter.”

ALSO READ: Rea Vaya bus services suspended until further notice, Kunene to mediate

On Tuesday, National Taxi Alliance (NTA) spokesperson, Theo Malele, said that the new buses were rolled out without proper consultation and that they use registrations from outside Gauteng.

Business rescue

Last year, the Rea Vaya bus operator was placed under business rescue after creditors attempted to seize part of its fleet due to outstanding debts.

However, PioTrans Business Rescue Practitioner (BRP) Mahier Tayob met with the company’s creditors and shareholders to develop a plan.

Piotrans, the company that operates Johannesburg’s Rea Vaya bus system, has faced numerous issues preventing it from running optimally.

BRT

The Rea Vaya Rapid Bus Transport (BRT) project has been over a decade in the making, having started initial operations in 2009 ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Its first route linked Soweto to the Johannesburg CBD.

When conceptualised in the early 2000s, the aim was to create transport linkages between communities on Johannesburg’s periphery and to the province’s financial centre, Sandton.

It was hoped that the BRT system would reduce traffic congestion, offering commuters a reliable option to travel between key hubs like Soweto and the CBD.

ALSO READ: Rea Vaya bus operator placed under business rescue