Four new Rea Vaya stations were opened by City of Johannesburg transport MMC Rehana Moosajee on Wednesday as part of a new initiative for the bus service.
“The opening of Basothong Station at Selby South will open up Rea Vaya service to a new market of workers and residents who live or work in Booysens and Selby South. We welcome these riders to the Rea Vaya,” she said in a statement.
“Our ridership numbers have risen to 42,000 per day and we hope with the introduction of the express services to and from Thokoza Park and opening stations along Rissik and Harrison streets will enable easy integration with Metrorail and Gautrain.”
Part of the initiative was the launch of an “express service”.
Commuters who used the T1 route starting at Thokoza Park or the C1 route starting at Ndingilizi would be able to catch an express service in the morning. Their bus would not stop at any stations until it reached the Johannesburg central business district.
The new stations would also have dedicated lanes in Rissik and Harrison streets. To help motorists, red strips would be painted in the middle of bus lanes.
Members of the public would be fined if they were caught driving in the lanes, Moosajee said.
“These changes show the city of Joburg's commitment to implement safe, fast, affordable and reliable public transport to its residents.” - Sapa