eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has shared the City's plans to roll out electric buses in the next 10 to 12 months.
Image: Supplied
In keeping up with global trends, eThekwini Municipality has announced plans to roll out electric or e-buses.
In other parts of the world, cities have embraced this form of transport, helping to reduce emissions in Germany and Spain. Delhi in India currently has the highest number of e-buses in operation.
Speaking at the recent C40 Cities, Mayor Cyril Xaba said the City is already making headway and has kicked off a feasibility study for the deployment of the buses.
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"Within the next 10-12 months, the city will have three e-buses for trial purposes and an additional 16 in the next three years," Xaba said.
The mayor explained that the roll out of the e-buses is a bold intervention to achieve climate resilience and carbon neutrality in the City's public transportation system.
He said the municipality is also working on the implementation and expansion of the public transport network (IPTN) and the implementation of travel demand measures to reduce private car trips by 50% by 2050.
However, it remains to be seen if the City's robust plan will see the light of day owing to the non- start of the Go!Durban project.
The project was due to kick off in 2017.
IOL has extensively covered articles about the project, which was again meant to "go live" in October last year.
Go! Durban bus station in Pinetown.
Image: Doctor Ngcobo/Independent Media
The Go!Durban Project was initially expected to provide an efficient, integrated public transport system for Durban, but the delays and lack of progress have led to public frustration, according to the Democratic Alliance.
The DA is now calling for a detailed, comprehensive report on the project, which has reportedly cost the taxpayer in excess of R8 billion.
"While these operational costs continue to mount, the Go Durban Project has failed to meet its fundamental milestones. Notably, the acquisition of buses, a critical component for the service’s launch, has yet to be completed," said the DA's Zamani Khuzwayo.
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The Go!Durban project has been hit by several delays including disputes with the taxi industry and vandalism at stations.
A Go!Durban bus
Image: Supplied
ActionSA has further accused the City of wasteful expenditure over the Go!Durban project.
ActionSA provincial chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, said the City was spending money "guarding white elephant structures".
While the Mayor expects the indicated that the city will have three e-buses within the next year, municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana told IOL that the City has yet to undertake any feasibility study.
Commenting on how much the buses will cost as well as the matter of charging stations, she said; "The feasibility study will assess the requirements for charging infrastructure and if there is any existing infrastructure that can be leveraged off or if new infrastructure will be required. The feasibility study is similar to a business case and will assess everything required before any public funds are committed to procuring the buses."
Sisilana added that the e-buses will not be rolled out until there is a valid business case that supports the project and has been approved by council.
When asked if it will be another Go!Durban debacle, she said the City will provide an update on the progress and status of the programme within the next two months, along with the way forward, ensuring no implications for key stakeholders.
"At this stage, we will not comment on the Go! Durban programme out of respect for ongoing consultations. Any misconceptions or misinformation regarding the programme will be addressed within the stated timeframe," she said.
Sisilana said the City is currently in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Agreement with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), who are the implementing agents for the Electric Bus project. Once that has been signed, the feasibility study will be initiated.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
IOL
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