New launch date for NMB bus system

The roll-out of Nelson Mandela Bay’s long-awaited bus system has hit another snag, with the municipality now targeting April as its new launch date to finally have the buses on the road.

However, there is still uncertainty over whether or not the metro will receive the R158-million roll-over funds from the national Treasury at the end of next month.

The metro applied for the rollover after it failed to spend the budget allocated by the Treasury before the end of the last financial year, and no money was allocated for the current year.

The city is also in the process of reviewing its agreement with the taxi industry – which will ultimately run the system – thrashing out some of the decisions which may be either outdated, or that the municipality wants to refine.

The postponement of the roll-out date for a scaled-down Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) follows several years of delays in getting the project off the ground.

It has, over the years, been marred by a stormy relationship between the metro and taxi industry, funding shortfalls and,more recently, allegations of corruption.