On behalf of the City of Johannesburg’s transport department, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has launched a Universal Design Access Plan (UDAP) aimed at ensuring inclusive, accessible, and equitable public transport systems across the city.
The plan will involve detailed audits and surveys across key public transport systems, including Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Metrobus and Putco operations, to assess the accessibility of bus stops, vehicles, customer care services, signage, digital platforms and overall transport infrastructure.
However, DA’s spokesperson for transport in Gauteng, Sean Kreusch, has noted that the proposed transport plan is only as good as the quality of the transport service providers, including Metrobus, Rea Vaya, Gautrain and the minibus industry.
‘That’s wishful thinking’
Sean Keusch highlighted the various issues that affect the way public transportation operates in Gauteng province, including road collapses, deteriorating bridges, failing stormwater systems, and broken traffic signals that are never fixed.
“And residents are spending hours trapped in congestion because this administration has failed to move people efficiently across the city,” he stated.
“That’s not an IDP [integrated development plan] for the people.”
“That’s wishful thinking,” he said.
Keusch noted that the entire plan becomes weak and meaningless when the basic movement of people, goods, services and economic opportunity is failing.
“And this crisis extends far beyond public transport,” said Keusch.
He added that the Johannesburg Roads Agency’s Road Asset Management System, which manages all road inventories and data, is itself in decline, operating at only 62% monitoring capacity for critical infrastructure.
Joburg requires R115 billion
During his speech to Council on the state of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), Metrobus and Rea Vaya, Keusch asked how the integrated development plan (IDP) was informed to formulate an integrated approach, if in total, Joburg requires approximately R115 billion, to simply rescue infrastructure from total decay.
“Where will this money come from?”
“More borrowings?” he asked.
“You cannot claim to have a people’s plan when there is no plan for the people.”
“You can’t have an IDP without the capacity of the state to deliver services for every rand spent,” he added.
Keusch stated that the numbers are catastrophic and mentioned that:
- R38 billion is required for road repairs and resurfacing
- R16 billion is needed for bridge rehabilitation
- R61 billion is required for stormwater infrastructure
- R370 million is needed for traffic signals alone
The plan is complete
However, despite this reality, the JDA has announced that the completed plan will now be tabled before the city’s Section 79 Committee for consideration, ahead of its submission to council for approval and adoption.
DA CEO Themba Mathibe has welcomed the completion of the plan, developed over an 18-month period from January 2025 to June 2026.
“This plan is a commitment to human dignity, equal opportunity and social inclusion,” he said.
“Accessible public transport empowers people to participate fully in economic and social life, while helping to remove barriers that have historically excluded many residents from opportunities across the city,” said Mathibe.
‘Holistic travel chain approach’
The agency noted that the UDAP assessed public transport facilities and services across the public transport network, and adopts a holistic “travel chain” approach.
Recognising that accessibility extends beyond stations and vehicles to include pedestrian routes, signage, information systems, customer service and seamless connections between different modes of transport.
“The UDAP provides a roadmap for the future integration of Universal Design and Universal Access principles throughout the city’s transport system and will guide future planning, implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement efforts.”
According to Mathibe, the UDAP plan applies not only to persons with disabilities, but also to older persons, pregnant women, parents travelling with young children and any passenger who may experience mobility challenges when using public transport.
Submission approved
“The National Department of Transport has reviewed and approved the UDAP for submission to Johannesburg City Council, recognising it as an important framework for strengthening universal accessibility within the city’s transport network,” Mathibe added.
While the completion of the plan marks the conclusion of the project, Mathibe stated that it signals the beginning of a longer journey towards achieving universal accessibility across Johannesburg’s public transport network.
