Bus service to be run as municipal entity
The service is currently run by a private company
BUS transportation services could be improved as the municipality has set in place plans to run the service as a municipal entity.
It was decided at a special full council meeting on Thursday, 13 August that the Durban municipal bus service will be run as a separate municipal entity like the ICC and uShaka Marine World.
The service is currently run by a private company and Mayor James Nxumalo said the purpose of forming the separate municipal entity was to strengthen the bus service in communities where the service was poor or non-existent.
“This decision will ensure the bus service is efficient for all people in eThekwini,” he said.
Its formation is now in planning and Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala welcomed the decision.
“We did not short-circuit the process to correct what has happened in the past. Necessary steps taken were community consultation and then labour consultation. These two play a critical role in dealing with the issue as we were not dealing with just the physical buses,” said Shabalala.
Options for the service included relooking at privatisation or creating a department within the municipality to run the buses.
“Creating an entity was the best option as we would still be able to obtain subsidies from the provincial and national government for the service. Officials must continue working towards forming the entity,” said Shabalala.
