The Gauteng provincial government (GPG) on Wednesday launched the GoGauteng mobile application (app) aimed at assisting commuters in planning their journeys, an alternative route app to provide road users with the resources needed to avoid e-toll roads and also released the 'Promoting Sustainable (Green) Transport in Gauteng’ draft policy for public comment.

Speaking at the launch Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi said GoGauteng was an important step forward in realising the Department of Roads and Transport's vision of a fully developed passenger information and communications (ICT) system as described in the five-year Gauteng Transport Implementation Plan (GTIP5), and the 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25).

"One of the initiatives [identified by GTIP5] is an integrated passenger ICT system, which will be of immediate and practical use to commuters in our province.

"It helps one to plan a journey using public transport modes and to receive timely information from public transport operators," Vadi noted.

On the GoGauteng app, users could choose their mode of transport, such as Metrorail, Rea Vaya or Gautrain, and subsequently plan their journey according to the different transport systems’ schedules.

The app would be available in the Android, iOS and Blackberry app stores – by searching for “Gauteng on the Move” – as well as through a mobile site. To accommodate commuters who did not have access to smartphones, GoGauteng would also be available on Mxit as well as through a USSD service, GoGauteng developer Justin Coetzee explained.

He added that while the different transport modes currently still had to be accessed individually through the app, in future, this would be integrated.

User profiles and the ability to chat with other public transport users would also be added to the GoGauteng app at a later stage, Coetzee said.

“The advent of fast, reliable and affordable wireless or Internet communications has made it possible for travel information to be disseminated timeously and reliably through mobile phones, websites, electronic signs and applications like the one we are launching today.

“We aim to take advantage of the technology that exists to reach our goals. Over time, this app should be further developed to provide real-time passenger information and should be extended to provide information regarding [other] public transport operations such as taxi services,” Vadi said.

He added that government also wanted to establish “at least one” fully fledged passenger information call centre in the country.

The GPG also wanted to rebrand all Gauteng’s public transport nodes to reflect the new “Gauteng on the Move” slogan.

Meanwhile, Vadi said the GPG had decided to launch the alternative routes app to assist commuters who wanted to avoid the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project’s e-toll routes.

He stated that the app had been approved on Tuesday and was available for  download from the Andriod app store.

DRAFT POLICY
Further, Vadi on Wednesday also released the 'Promoting Sustainable (Green) Transport in Gauteng’ draft policy for public comment.

He stated that this policy aimed to address the need to limit the negative environmental impact of the transport sector in Gauteng, in line with the vision of the ITMP25.

“Through joint ventures with other spheres of government and organs in civil society, it provides policy directives to the transport sector on measures to reduce carbon emissions and to improve environmental conditions and the health of people in the province.

“Importantly, it sets out the critical policy interventions necessary for promoting sustainable, green transport,” Vadi said.

He stated that the draft policy mentioned various key aims of the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport for the short to medium term.

These included making public transport reliable, affordable, safe and accessible; reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions; ensuring that intelligent transport systems were introduced and used; actively promoting nonmotorised transport and ensuring the use of environment-friendly materials in road construction and maintenance.

The GPG also aimed to ensure that spatial and route planning enhanced and promoted sustainable transport, and to forge partnerships to undertake further research into the topic of promoting a green transport agenda.

Public comment on this draft policy had to reach the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport by June 30, after which the policy would be finalised and approved by the GPG.