GEORGE NEWS - The Go George buses continue to lead the way towards connecting people in medium-sized South African cities.
This public transportation system's successes and failures will serve as learning opportunities for the ministry of mobility as they try to find innovative ways of enabling people to "use less effort to get where they want to go".
This is according to the Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku, who was one of the first passengers to ride the newly launched Route 10, which connects Thembalethu with George Industria, on Monday 28 October.
In addition to the inauguration of the new route, the minister also cut the ribbon to launch the new transfer facility at the Garden Route Mall.
The bus departs the George Links depot in York Street at 04:30, drives into Hope Street and then follows Nelson Mandela Boulevard to Jonga High School, where it makes a U-turn after a 20-minute stop.
It then departs for George Industria along Nelson Mandela Boulevard and finally detours past York High and Eden Technical High School. The route also runs in reverse.
Route 10 will start out with a temporary deviation from the planned route to accommodate roadworks in PW Botha Boulevard. Maps and timetables have been adjusted accordingly and are available on the Go George website.
Connecting passengers to existing routes is one of Route 10's main purposes, specifically students attending Pacaltsdorp Secondary School and Africa Skills, staff working at Correctional Services, Margot Swiss, Coca-Cola or Frontier Co.
It should also help connect people working in Tamsui Industria with existing routes.
Sileku said this route aims to connect people who are going to work and school by providing transport that is safe, reliable and accessible.
"We are looking at other routes even though they might be challenging. For example, connecting the George CBD with Thembalethu even more. We want the areas that are the furthest away to be able to reach our CBD with less effort, cheaper and quicker."
The minister said this bus transport initiative is not only meant for George, even though it is the only municipality outside the Cape Town metro that offers the service.
The plan is to find a working model that can be implemented in other cities.
George Mayor Jackie von Brandis and Western Cape Minister of Mobility Isaak Sileku outside the newly inaugurated Go George transfer facility at the Garden Route Mall. Photo: Jacques du Toit
"The success and the failures of it is going to impact on what we want to see going forward. Hopefully what we are bringing here is going to be so successful that other municipalities out of George are going to say 'we also want to do that'," said Sileku.
George Mayor Jackie von Brandis expressed her delight at this next step to better connect Thembalethu.
"The full implementation of the Go George bus services to Thembalethu has always been a top priority. Although the implementation of the bus services was temporarily hindered by the congestion caused by the N2 bridge construction, residents can be assured that we are fully committed to ensuring that the bus service is operational and available to all who intend to use it," she said.
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