Gauteng Premier David Makhura on Friday signed a declaration with mayors in the Gauteng City Region (GCR) endorsing the establishment of a single transport authority for the GCR.
Makhura said the signing of the declaration was an important step taken by government towards ensuring that all structures and institutions that gave effect to the vision of a GCR were formalised and regularised.
“The GCR Transport Authority must be a model of the kind of formal GCR structures we will create going forward. It will further ensure that our structures are not ad-hoc, voluntary and riddled with uncertainty,” he stated.
He added that the establishment of the transport authority was part of the Gauteng provincial government’s 25-year plan for transport and spatial development.
The new authority would help redefine the role of the taxi industry and enable the sector to provide a more business-oriented service, as well as deal with inefficiencies in the public transport system and strengthen public confidence, which was expected to lead to more people using public transport in the province.
“The signing of the declaration is an historical event that paves the way for the establishment of a more efficient transport service in Gauteng,” said Makhura.
In addition to signing off on the transport authority, other issues at the top of the agenda during the final meeting for the current term of local government were the integrated urban development framework and 2016-2019 implementation plan.
“There has been a need for our cities to develop in an organised way and the integrated framework will ensure this happens,” he noted.