JOHANNESBURG - Tshwane public transport users will benefit from a new smartphone application that provides accurate public transport information and schedules in real-time, said MEC for Roads and Transport Dr Ismail Vadi.
The government led application, Gauteng On The Move, mapped almost all of the province and the city's public transport routes. It recognised all of the city's taxi ranks, train stations, bus stations, tourist destinations and popular areas.
Vadi launched Gauteng On The Move in the offices of developers, T-Systems, before numerous stakeholders and stakeholders key role players.
"The application is aimed at providing commuters with timetables as well as fares for Gauteng based public transit operators. We are already seeing the power of technology that every day is reshaping public transport services, marketing and consumption. The global technological changes we are currently witnessing are sparking a revolution in the transport sector,”
The application was described as groundbreaking innovation that successfully integrated the trips of the taxi industry, metro buses, metrorail and Gautrain. Private transport operators also benefited from the interconnectedness of the application.
Vadi said a traveller could take a trip from Bronkhorstspruit to the Vaal by relying exclusively on the application. The user would be given options to choose their trip by distance or by cost.
The app would guide the user from the moment he or she must travel by foot until one mode of transport was used. Users were allowed to switch from one mode of transport to another for their convenience.
This was an innovation that Tshwane commuters would find useful as the municipality signed an agreement with various taxi associations to share commuters between A re Yeng and taxi to reduce congestion and traffic in the capital city.
Several commuters already travelled to the city by switching from taxis and A re Yeng buses daily as part of the agreement.
MMC for Roads and Transport Sheila Lynn Senkubuge said: "This application is incredibly important and a groundbreaking innovation. As a city we acknowledged lots of complaints from residents about public transport and this application will address some of them,"
She said Tshwane already showcased that it was a tourist capital and had lots of tourist destinations and international delegates, all which would benefit from the application. She was confident a culture whereby travellers relied on the application was inevitable because Tshwane was a youthful city whereby young people already used applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on a daily basis.
Gauteng On The Move is already available for download on both Apple and Android devices.