By Sipho Tshabalala
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, on Sunday, 06 October 2024, hosted a stakeholder engagement session with representatives of various Bus Commuter Forums in Koedoespoort, Tshwane.
The aim was to keep commuters informed of developments currently underway with respect to the implementation of Section 38 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) as well as the invocation of clause 10.1.5 of the negotiated bus contracts.
Currently, the expenditure on negotiated contracts exceed the allocated budget, and as such, the Department is required to implement a strategy to ensure these contracts remain within the Public Transport Operating Grant (PTOG) allocations.
As such, Treasury has duly instructed the Department to revise some of the contracts to be in T line with the PTOG indicative allocations.
In terms of clause 10.1.5 of the Negotiated Contract, the Department has the right to amend schedules, routes, or timetable of services in consultation with the operators and passengers.
To kickstart the consultative process with both operators and commuters, the Department has instructed the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Supervision and Monitoring Firms (SMFs) to review the routes and timetables applicable to each contract. This to identify those routes and timetables that may be amended to reduce the service.
Based on the review, the Department further engaged operators on the invocation of clause 10.1.5 and the importance of aligning the contracts to the PTOG budget to kickstart the consultative process envisaged in clause 10.1.5 of the negotiated contracts. Operators are currently engaging with the presentations made by the Department on the proposed manner of reducing the service. 
As the reduction is a temporary measure, the Department is still required to engage in a consultative process with commuters to ensure they are kept abreast of all changes to the service that will affect them and ensure transparency This will also serve to avoid misrepresentation with respect to the current process being undertaken.
The Department has indicated this is a temporary step to alleviate the current financial constraints and bus services will not be permanently terminated. It further announced that should budget restrictions improve over time, a further consultative process will ensue with all stakeholders to work on plans to ramp up the service.
A request for additional funding from the Provincial Treasury was not successful.
The session further discussed other issues affecting commuters and work to find lasting solutions.
Meanwhile, the Department is currently engaged in stakeholder sessions, in various wards, on the R553 Road (Golden Highway) rehabilitation project.