Tshwane Rapid Transit 2022

TRANSFORMATION

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a relatively new phenomenon in Africa.

BRT delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective bus-based services, through the provision of dedicated lanes, segregated right-of-way infrastructure, offboard fare collection, and fast and frequent operations.

Containing similar features to a light rail or metro system, BRT is thus much more reliable, convenient, and faster than conventional bus services, which are often slowed by the likes of traffic and onboard payments.

It was the National Land Transport Act 5 (NLTA) of 2009 that first made way for BRT in South Africa. The system was inaugurated in the City of Johannesburg ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has since been rolled out across the country.

Bus Rapid Transit has been embraced in South Africa to improve public transport services.

Operated by Tshwane Rapid Transit Pty Ltd, we delve into the system with CEO, Samuel Matebane Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Cameron Lawrence

Our team has in excess of 50 years’ experience in the financial services industry with a deep knowledge in Insurance and Fleet Risk management.

The Wyngaardt Brokers team comprises of experienced and highly trained professionals who are fully compliant with all statutory requirements. We stay current with changes and developments in the insurance environment and industry to instil confidence and peace of mind with all our clients.

We make use of modern, operationally-integrated systems to fully relay the benefit of technology, efficient processes and long-standing relationships to our clients.

BESPOKE FLEET INSURANCE MARINE GOODS IN

INDEMNITY

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Responsible for rapid bus services within the City of Tshwane, the second-largest municipality in the South African province of Gauteng, is Tshwane Rapid Transit Pty Ltd (TRT), who seeks to transform road-based public transport services through BRT.

“TRT established BRT in 2012 and began operations in 2014, through a resolution by the City of Tshwane municipality council,” states CEO, Samuel Matebane.

“This relationship is governed by the Bus Operating Company Agreement (BOCA), as stipulated by NLTA. Since then, TRT has grown into the company it is today and has been expanding in relation to the City of Tshwane’s requirements.”

TRT is run based on a concession agreement with the City of Tshwane, which is responsible for collecting fees, monitoring services, and tracking the company’s performance.

Having also served the communities of Mamelodi since 2017 on an ad hoc basis, TRT provides “one of the best commuter services in the country,” according to Matebane.

“Our operational space is within the City of Tshwane central business district (CBD), from Wonderboom Junction to Hatfield and Menlyn, with feeders around the regional trunk road network,” he says.

“Our Mamelodi operations are

widely spread, from Mahube and Lusaka to Midrand in the south and Garankuwa in the north. We are com mitted to serving our communities with humility, pride and providing a safe and reliable transport system.”

As the CEO of TRT since 2017, Matebane himself is driven by safety and reliability in the provision of transport.

“My purpose is to impact every person that I interact with, and this is how I do it in my daily life. I operated in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector until I joined the transport industry in 2009, and I have loved it ever since.”

EMPOWERING OPERATORS

An independent corporate entity, TRT is owned by qualified taxi and bus operators within the City of Tshwane that previously operated on the BRT route.

BRT seeks to empower these “affected operators”, by bringing them into the mainstream economy and ownership of the system.

“This is a work in progress, as a lot of mistakes were made with the implementation of BRT which need to be resolved to make sure affected operators can be proud to own the system for a while longer,” Matebane acknowledges.

WHY A BUS RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE?

In metropolitan areas worldwide, frustration over worsening traffic conditions is a growing problem.

BRT systems have been embraced to improve public transport in several countries, who subsequently found their traffic troubles were significantly reduced.

The City of Tshwane recognises that traffic congestion has become a major problem for drivers, especially during peak hours. At the same time, many depend on public transport to get to work or school.

By implementing a cost-effective and efficient public transport system, not only does congestion reduce and road safety improve because of less private vehicles and car accidents, but the mobility of residents also increases.

Samuel Matebane, CEO

“WE STRIVE TO EMPOWER THE AFFECTED OPERATORS OF BRT”

– SAMUEL MATEBANE, CEO, TSHWANE RAPID TRANSIT

When your broker goes above and beyond the call of duty.

In a world full of choices, choose to have a broker who has a genuine passion for your business, it’s wellbeing and your peace of mind.

Our business goals are to create value by differentiating our insurance products and services to the direct benefit of our clientele.

Wyngaardt Brokers uses bespoke tools and systems whilst harnessing our industry relationships to carve out policies with terms, conditions and products built around our clients’ specific fleet and business needs. We strive to serve businesses through aligning our clients’ insurance portfolios and risk management strategy to their long term strategic and business goals.

To that end, our introductory analysis fulfils the function of:

• Identifying the current and future business and fleet risks

• Analyse and measure these risks and their prospective outcomes

• Prioritise and examine potential solutions

• Treat the risks and Implement solutions

• Monitor the risks and results

This process, with its multiple intricacies, has consistently proven successful in reducing the frequency and severity of client claims and claimable events.

Rolling up our sleeves for the long-haul and getting stuck-in:

Wyngaardt Brokers enhances client human capital and capacity. We increase value by taking time to

keep all parties fully engaged in the process, thus enabling incident level efficiencies, operational and process efficiencies, reducing vehicle down-time and enhancing claims management efficiency from the time of incident until the vehicle is returned to service. By involving ourselves in the day-to-day claims management processes, we become a capacity and efficiency plug-in and an extension to the service of our clients.

Our team operates at client staff level; on the ground with operations and in the boardroom with executives. This brings relevance to the market movement, risk management and participation in the risk to the table in order to extract the maximum reward to the point of profit sharing with the insurer on a successfully managed portfolio. We add our resources and human capital to our clients’ teams with a focus of upskilling our clients’ staff - aiding in the progression of the risk management of the modernised fleet and business.

We direct our focus on the counter-intuitive nature of being a broker – reducing client incidents and losses by severity and frequency in order to consistently deliver affordable products at reduced rates. We have consciously made the choice to reinvest our income and manpower into our clients’ portfolios in service of our clients, with the view that if our client benefits, we all benefit over the long term.

Ultimately, Wyngaardt Brokers aims to re-instil the integrity, efficiency and trust that the insurance industry is so desperately in need of.

Darius Wyngaardt Wyngaardt Brokers (Pty) Ltd is a Juristic Representative of Smit and Kie Brokers FSP:11184

Wyngaardt Brokers is a proud partner of Tshwane Rapid Transit and is wholly committed to their ongoing operational and strategic goals.

“We strive to empower the affected operators of BRT, and this is non-negotiable. By implementing improvements to BRT, we will be using taxis and buses as feeders and allowing commuters to move around easily and seamlessly.”

TRT – AT A GLANCE

VISION: To be the leading passenger transport operator on the continent.

MISSION: To operate reliable, safe, and commercially viable passenger transport services.

OBJECTIVES:

• To render a safe, affordable, and reliable bus operating service for residents of the City of Tshwane and surrounding areas.

• To improve the socio-economic conditions and quality of life of all City of Tshwane residents.

• To offer a better level of service as part of an integrated public transport system.

TRT employs 257 members of staff, the majority of which are recruited from the affected taxi associations in the City of Tshwane, with 80 percent working as bus drivers.

More than 70 learner drivers have been trained by the company, all sourced from the taxi industry, whilst 34 TRT apprentices have qualified as diesel mechanics and auto electricians in collaboration with the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA).

Working together with the taxi industry, and with the support of gov ernment, TRT strives to make trans port accessible to all through BRT.

“The transport industry is an everchanging space and improving daily. Whilst transport has transformed our lives when it comes to access, we still have people without access, especially in the rural areas and townships,” notes Matebane.

“Government focus in these areas is needed. Townships are on the periphery of metropolitan areas and travelling distances are longer for daily commuters. It is imperative that more is done to transform the industry, whilst coordinating with

other areas of development such as housing and industrial parks to make the movement of people easier and less costly.

“Technology is taking over, and we have no option but to comply. It’s an exciting time to be part of the transport sector which is a basic human right,” he continues.

DIGITAL INVESTMENTS

The TRT commuter experience has been improved further by a major investment in a revolutionary automated fare collection (AFC) system, developed by intelligent transportation solutions provider, KentKart.

Equally, as the first commuter business in South Africa whose operations are now 100 percent cashless, the risks of cash handling have been eliminated for TRT’s bus drivers by KentKart’s AFC system.

“We are now able to offer a safe driving experience, where the driver doesn’t have to worry about cash handling, making errors, or being a target for criminals,” Matebane explains.

“We are glad to have chosen KentKart, as we have immediately recovered 35 percent of the cash losses we were experiencing due to the previous system.”

TRT has also invested in KentKart’s passenger information system, allowing commuters to check travel information and the number of on-board passengers, as the company embraces digitalisation.

This will prove particularly useful those travelling to and from work on a daily basis, with most buses filling up during the morning and afternoon peaks.

Today, a total of 114 BRT buses are owned and operated by TRT, with another 57 to be purchased. An additional 55 buses are dedicated to commuter services, bringing TRT’s fleet total to 169, and in a first for sub-Saharan Africa, 40 run on concentrated natural gas (CNG).

A cheaper and greener alternative to diesel power, CNG buses release fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, create less noise pollution, and have lower maintenance costs.

The roll-out of CNG buses

reinforces TRT’s commitment to providing an efficient transport service and making the system more sustainable.

“We are the first bus operator in South Africa to have 100 percent CNG buses, and this is a leading-edge technology advancement,” acclaims Matebane.

“We are learning from these operations, in order to improve our energy mix into the future.”

COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

Social responsibility is the first of TRT’s five core values, along with excellence, integrity, teamwork, and accountability.

In Mamelodi, the company works with schools in the community for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

“Our employees spend their time doing work within the communities, and assist with painting, gardening, and cleaning at these schools,” Matebane smiles.

TRT likewise maintains long-lasting relationships with local suppliers in the community and is building on

these partnerships in order to bring about change.

All the while, TRT remains committed to the affected operators in the City of Tshwane and is looking to diversify into other commuter contracts.

Matebane tells us that this is the “immediate goal” of TRT, with the company also in negotiations for a 12-year cost-per-kilometre contract.

“This is the basis of our existence,” he affirms. “We are excited and look forward to a new model for the business in the next 12 months.

“We have implemented value-added services, which we are seeing major returns from, and these will continue vigorously in the short term.”

TSHWANE RAPID TRANSIT PTY LTD Tel: 012 323 1754 enquires@tshwanetransit.net www.tshwanetransit.net

Thakane Motebang, Human Resources Manager

Samuel Matebane, CEO

Morena Mofokeng, Operations Manager