Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - The City of Johannesburg announced on Wednesday that Metrobus has agreed to retrain its drivers, following a number of bus-related accidents in the city.
"The recent Metrobus, Prasa bus and rail tragedies have emphasised the importance of public transport safety," Mayor Parks Tau said during his state of the city address in Braamfontein on Wednesday.
"Metrobus has already committed that all its drivers will be retrained. This is the least we can do to honour the memory of those tragically killed in the recent Metrobus crash on Jan Smuts Avenue."
A double-decker driver and two women, one of whom was six months pregnant, died when two buses collided head-on along the busy road on April 24.
Sixty-four others were injured during the collision near Zoo Lake around 07:00. The second driver was critically injured.
On February 25, another Metrobus crashed through the barrier of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge in the Johannesburg CBD, and crashed into the parking lot below, injuring the driver. He was the only occupant.
Tau said on Wednesday the M1, M2 and the Soweto highways' capacities would be undergoing assessments soon.
"We will be commencing soon to upgrade these freeways to the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Programme standards, but without any tolls.
"This will be e-toll quality roads without e-tolls," he said to an applause.
"If you haven't been to the inner city in the last five years, you wouldn't recognise many parts of it."
