IPTS use brings in R17m revenue for Nelson Mandela Bay

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has collected R17m in revenue from the Integrated Public Transport System over a nine-month period.

Proud roads and transport political head Rosie Daaminds made the announcement at a media briefing at City Hall on Tuesday, where she unpacked her department’s spending and plans for the current financial year.

“When we got into office, the revenue of the IPTS for Phase 1A was less than R3m, but now we can brag and say we’re standing on R17m in less than nine months of coming into power.

“More people and more commuters are using the bus system and this is only Phase 1A,” Daaminds said.

“We look forward to the other phases to make it easier and cheaper for our people to reach wherever it is they need to reach in this city.”

Daaminds was accompanied by infrastructure and engineering political head Andile Lungisa and the department’s executive director, Walter Shaidi.

Speaking on development in the city, Lungisa said they were working towards building a smart city and the metro’s transport system was an integral part of this.

In terms of further IPTS routes, Lungisa said the new route in Uitenhage was under construction and this would move to Njoli and eventually Summerstrand.

“I’m simply saying there is real movement and you can see our buses on a daily basis – they’re full and a little bit cheaper.

“The taxi industry in those areas is benefiting as well because they’re partners. The lives of our own people have been changed,” Lungisa said.

The capital budget for the roads and transport department was more than R500m in the last financial year. As the city is still processing invoices for June, the expenditure rate was R352m by July 18.

In the last financial year, the department surfaced 13.7km of roads and began constructing a road that links Zwide/Kwazakhele to John Tallant Road.

Daaminds said they were working with the human settlements department to eradicate all minor gravel roads.

The total backlog of gravel roads in the metro is 778km.

Daaminds said SMMEs had benefited to the tune of R107m from roads projects.

She said the municipality was planning to develop SMMEs through an incubator programme.

Lungisa said the municipality had put out adverts calling for professionals to run incubator programmes.

“Not everyone can be an SMME. If you want to be one, you must meet certain requirements and standards.

“It’s not a free for all. “This incubation programme will help the municipality build capacity, because we don’t want businesses that are empowered today and tomorrow they collapse.

“What we’re also encouraging here is for the SMMEs to not only focus on the work given to them by the municipality, but also to do their own projects such as fencing, upgrading houses, and at the moment they’re not doing this.

“That work is done by our own brothers and sisters from Mozambique or Zimbabwe.”