MUVO Bus Driver Winner

Durban bus driver Deena Dayalan Naidoo was awarded as Durban’s best bus driver for the month of April as part of the Move to Muvo Campaign.

Deena Naidoo was previously employed by the Airports Company of South Africa as a courier of flight documentation and through sterling work was promoted to shuttle driver, transporting passengers from platforms to their destined flights. A resident from Hilary in Durban, Mr Deena Naidoo has been driving one of the  People Mover Buses in the city for over 5 years. Often found doing his daily commuter route passing the famous Indian Spice Market, Warwick Junction, the Botanical Garden, West Street and South Beach, Naidoo says that he really enjoys his job. “I love my job, interacting with the different people of our beautiful, sunny city brings great joy to me. I believe that as a driver to respect and help all of my passengers at all the time is part of my job and I always look forward to that”

He was awarded the Best Bus Driver of the month award voted for by the commuters for being a good ambassador and assisting commuters with their Muvo cards.

From April 1, bus coupons have been discontinued, and replaced with the new MUVO Smartcard, which will provide a safer, more efficient way of paying for public transport. The card is part of GO!Durban, the massive Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network, that will eventually be used on all the public transport within the network which sees the integration of  public transport with dedicated lanes for busses and upgraded transport corridors for rail.

The card is being issued free of charge until further notice.

“Muvo has been running a competition for Best Bus Driver for this Move to Muvo campaign. The objective of the competition was to help improve the service provided to the commuters and encourage bus drivers to become ambassadors of the Muvo brand. Commuters had to vote for their favourite bus driver in order for their favourite driver to win the competition” says MUVO Project Manager Michelle Pearton.

For enquiries about the MUVO Card call 080 000 6886 or visit the website on www.muvo.co.za

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Smartcard for public transport means bus coupons to be discontinued soon

Durban commuters using public transport can look forward to a swifter, more efficient and safer payment method as the deadline to change to the cashless card system looms.

The bus coupons that have been used on the Durban Transport and Mynah busses since the early 90’s will be discontinued on 1 April 2014 and replaced with the MUVO Card – the City’s new cashless smartcard.

Commuters who get their MUVO Cards now and use it 10 times or more until 1 April 2014 stand a chance to win free transport for one year with weekly draws giving 10 commuters the opportunity to win.

As part of GO!Durban, the massive Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network, the MUVO card is the cashless card that will eventually be used on all the public transport within the network which sees the integration of  public transport with dedicated lanes for busses and upgraded transport corridors for rail.

“The card was launched in July 2012 and was gradually phased in across all regions.” says Thami Manyathi, Head of the eThekwini Transport Authority. “This gradual approach enabled the project team to bed down operational and system teething problems and the system is now operating well with 32 000 commuters having already “moved over to Muvo.” ”

Muvo Cards are a progressive step towards modernising the current transport system. The card is a single Smartcard that can be used across all three of Durban’s primary bus lines: the Durban Transport, Mynah and People Mover busses. By loading cash to the MUVO Card, users are able to travel to central and greater Durban areas using the interchanging routes travelled by these buses. The card has been designed with two main choices, to either load cash or load specific trips.

The benefit of the MUVO Card is that it can be loaded with travel products that only expire after 3 years, whereas the coupon expires after 2 weeks.  The card can also be loaded with cash which can be used to pay for goods and services at retail outlets that display “MUVO accepted here” signage. The card eliminates the need to carry cash on the bus and to do other transactions and each card has a secret pin that the user chooses which safeguards it like a debit or credit card.

The MUVO Card has been certified by Mastercard and the National Department of Transport’s compliance Agency making it fully compliant with banking and regulatory requirements.

The card is being issued free of charge until 1 May 2014, one month after the bus coupons have been discontinued, from which point a charge will be levied for the card.

PayPoints have been set-up at the same locations where bus coupons are sold - look out for the branded MUVO SmartVans - with the addition of some Municipal Sizakala Centres to increase commuter convenience.

Pensioners, people with disabilities and scholars will also be catered for with the new system through a concession card programme that will follow a simple and convenient application process.

For enquiries about the MUVO Card call  080 000 6886 or SMS your name and a short description of your question to our free of charge SMS line 44524 and one of our brand ambassadors will call you back.

For a full list of Muvo PayPoints visit the Muvo websitewww.muvo.co.za, and for more information on the GO!Durban project go towww.godurban.co.za..

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Go Durban! IS ON TRACK TO MOVE THE PEOPLE OF ETHEKWINI

Go Durban! is the name of the integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) that aims to provide a flexible, safe, cost effective, seamless transport experience for the people of eThekwini.

This was revealed at the brand launch held in the City today which was attended by the eThekwini Mayor Councillor James Nxumalo, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison Mr Willies Mchunu, Deputy Mayor Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala, City Manager S'bu Sithole, Acting Deputy-Director-General: Public Transport Mrs Khibi Mbuse, EXCO members, City officials, business leaders and stakeholders along with Head of eThekwini Transport Authority Mr Thami Manyathi.

Go Durban! promises to promote transport that is universally accessible to all of Durban’s citizens. World-class cities know that infrastructure investment is critical to the sustainability of a region, and the standard of living for its citizens. Go Durban! is identified as one of the key pillars integral to the stimulation of economic growth in the region. Initially citizens will see the development of high quality public transport linkages between Bridge City, Durban Central, Pinetown, Umlazi and Umhlanga. The aim is to provide seamless transfers across transport modes, by creating ease of access at stations and precincts, and by using electronic ticketing and providing passenger safety and security. The design of the IRPTN stations and station precincts will create a focal point for communities, as well as for new, and more sustainable economic development.

The initial programme includes the design stage for the stations, station precincts and park and ride facilities and includes the planning and design in each station precinct such as improved lighting, signage, landscaping, street furniture and sidewalk and road design. The design also makes provision for facilities for universal accessibility.

Go Durban! will see nine transport corridors linked by various modes of transport (bus, rail and taxi) across eThekwini by 2027. The provision of transport is intrinsic to the creation of a vibrant, liveable and sustainable city in line with the City’s vision which is that by 2030, eThekwini Municipality will be Africa’s most caring and liveable city. The real purpose of transport planning is the provision of access to work, social facilities such as education, hospitals, as well as including goods and services. Go Durban! is aimed at providing affordable and accessible public transport to eThekwini citizens and to not only connect different areas around the city but also to provide transport services to areas which have previously not been serviced to fully incorporate a sense of community in the City.

Go Durban! aims to deliver:

• Upgraded fleet, facilities, stops and stations

• Extended hours of operation (16-24hrs)

• Peak frequencies (5-10min) – Off peak frequencies (10-30min)

• Full Universal Access (special needs and wheelchair access)

• Safe and secure operations monitored by a Control Centre

• Electronic fare integration when making transfers

• Integrated feeder services including walking / cycling and taxi networks

• Integration with metered taxi services and long distance intercity services

• Car competitive options and alternatives – to enable strict peak period car use management.

Phase 1, which is prioritised around four critical corridors including rail, is expected to be completed by 2018. It will comprise three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and one rail corridor. The three BRT routes are: C1 Bridge City to Durban CBD, C3 Bridge City to Pinetown, C9 Bridge City to Umhlanga Corridor and the rail corridor: C2: Bridge City and KwaMashu via Berea Road to Umlazi and Isipingo. The Phase 1 network will accommodate approximately 25% of the Municipality’s total trunk public transport demand on road-based IRPTN services with a further 40% being accommodated by the trunk rail network as part of Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA) implementation plans. This approach ensures recognisable benefit to the maximum number of users in the shortest period of time for the given level of investment required. Of the 190km of road based trunk corridors, 60km are planned for the Phase 1 implementation of the network by 2018.

Through Go Durban! the City hopes to ensure that 85% of all residents will have access to safe, affordable and quality scheduled public transport. It hopes to provide opportunities for densification, mixed-use and transit-oriented development to reduce need for travel, and promote the emergence of a world-class city and to inspire a wave of architectural renewal, which will result in urban rejuvenation and revitalization of run-down areas. Through the large scale nature of the project and the timelines it will also create jobs and assist in the alleviation of poverty in the province.

Go Durban! is exceptional in its vision, in that it will have a fully integrated system. Although the entire project will take many years to complete, it is an environmentally, economic and societal-driven sustainable system that will be used for years into the future, becoming one the lasting legacies created for the future in this country.

The Go Durban! website, Facebook and Twitter internet interfaces go live tomorrow (November 2):www.GoDurban.co.za, www.facebook/GoDurban and @Go_Durban.

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