WHY NAME SOMETHING BEFORE IT EXISTS
(My speech at today's Council meeting)
The report provides an update of the naming of the
Tshwane BRT system and it also outlines the steps that still need to be
undertaken with regard to naming this service.
Three names are considered according to this report:
Fambisanani, Capital Link, Capital Express
I want to take you back to the June Council meeting
last year when a report was tabled to consider the marketing strategy for the
BRT system. I addressed the house then on the item and protested against the
Tshwane Metro’s inability to prioritize and to be focused. My main argument was
that we are spending money on marketing a service that does not exist while the
basic bus service in the city is deteriorating.
Things indeed got so bad in the mean time that the
mayor had no other choice but to acknowledge this fact – he went so far as to
encourage commuters to make use of alternative transport.
Now we want to name this project that is considered by
many as a mere pipedream while making use of alternative transport as the mayor
encouraged them to do because indeed, the Pretoria bus service is not getting
the attention it deserves.
Are there any parents in this house who consulted
their minister or priest to Christen their children before they were born? Of
course not - that will be ridiculous.
While there is a public outcry for a reliable bus
service in the city we must consider a name for a service that might one day be
up and running. Again, it is ridiculous.
I urge you to go back to the drawing board, face up to
a reality check and listen to the public outcry.
What the public and commuters want is not theories and
dreams, fancy names and marketing campaigns. No! They want a tangible
commitment to service delivery.
You can name the BRT what you want if and when it is
operational one day. Commuters are really not bothered by possible names for
the BRT but they are frustrated and angry because the Metro is failing them by
not providing proper public transport.
What we need is a basic reliable bus service – that is
what we should be focusing on.
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