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Johannesburg - Questions are increasingly being asked as to whether South Africa will be ready to ferry spectators to and from the stadiums during the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.
While there is a scramble to complete phase 1 of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Johannesburg within the next month, Cape Town's BRT phase 1A in, is expected to be ready for use as a daily service only by August or September next year.
Last week Jeremy Cronin, the deputy Minister of Transport, declared that part of the bus service infrastructure would definitely be harnessed for the soccer tournament in Cape Town.
Commentators are wondering whether the green light for the bus tenders was not hopelessly too late.
Conveying spectators has for some time been one of the biggest headaches for the tournament organisers. Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk last week acknowledged that transport was the big challenge.
The problem is not getting the anticipated 450 000 spectators here - the airports are expected to cope with that. But South Africa's road transport infrastructure could leave the country in the lurch.
An overhauled road infrastructure was actually identified as the World Cup legacy for South Africans.
Different types of transport will have to create an integrated road transport system for the tournament. Bus and rail transport, as well as taxis, will be put into service.
Many observers reckon the process of awarding bus tenders was too protracted. Responding to the question as to whether there will be sufficient buses and whether the contracts will be completed in time, Cronin said his department does not think there will be problems. The situation is being continuously monitored.
The Department of Transport initially planned to provide 1 422 new buses for the tournament, but this figure has shrunk. Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) was asked to provide 168 semi-luxurious buses and 292 inter-city buses, and MAN to produce 110 general spectator buses.
These are all being assembled in South Africa and MBSA says the delivery date for its vehicles is April 2010. Bus transport will be critical for long distances, such as for matches in the Nelspruit stadium.
- Sake24.com
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