August 29, 2006
By Lucky Sindane
JOBURG commuters are set to benefit from the newly launched Gauteng Commuter Organisation, which will address challenges faced by public transport commuters on a daily basis.
Gauteng MEC for public transport, roads and works, Ignatius Jacobs, officially launched the Gauteng Commuter Organisation last Friday in Johannesburg.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the voice of commuters in building, amongst others, an efficient, safe and environmentally friendly public transport system. It includes buses, taxis and trains.
"Our organisation will speak on behalf of commuters; we want to make sure that issues facing commuters are properly addressed," said James Mothupi, chairperson of the Gauteng Commuter Organisation.
Formed in partnership with the Gauteng department of public transport, roads and works, the mass-based Gauteng Commuter Organisation is the first of its kind in the country.
In October last year a Gauteng Commuter Indaba was held with taxi owners and associations, bus and rail operators and commuter organisations and Gauteng provincial government to work towards developing an efficient and integrated inter-modal public transport system.
"We want to make sure that together with public transport operators in the rail, bus and taxi industry, we achieve the type of public transport that all of us can be proud of," said Jacobs during a press briefing. "We also seek to collectively stem the tide of the rising cost of fuel on commuters and to reduce the economic cost of congestion on our roads."
The Gauteng Commuter Organisation will be an independent and autonomous body that will champion the interests of commuters in the province.
The Gauteng department of transport is currently in the process of finalising a new commuter subsidy for Gauteng.
"Only a fraction of Gauteng commuters use either bus or rail services in Gauteng but they enjoy the benefits of government subsidy. On the other hand, the majority complements do not enjoy any form of subsidy," said Jacobs.
"We need a subsidy system that is biased towards the majority of public transport users, especially the poor, and to work together with operators to deal effectively with the challenges in rail, bus and the taxi industry and to equally spread the services amongst commuters," he added.
The new organisation will make life easier for commuters
A Commuter Charter for Gauteng will be finalised and adopted soon. "We intend to launch this Charter during public transport month in October," said Jacobs.
The Gauteng Commuter Organisation will be based at Park Station, Johannesburg.
Commuters with public transport issues can contact GCO's secretary, Nkosinathi Nkosi, on 073 814 2745.
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