TANA: Another Gov't contentious project

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will begin trials of the TANA electric bus project in Gaborone as part of Government’s drive to reform the transport sector, modernise public transport systems, support trade and entrepreneurship, and transition to clean energy.

TANA is an electric bus public transport pilot project introduced by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to modernise city commuting, ease traffic, and reduce emissions in Gaborone. The Electric Fleet uses eco-friendly, battery-electric buses assembled locally in Gaborone, complete with in-built Wi-Fi.

It offers scheduled arrival times, clean vehicles, digital tracking, and professional customer care. The City Infrastructure entails dedicated bus lanes on main radial routes and park-and-ride sites to help reduce private car traffic.

The ministry has indicated that reforming the transport sector’s management and modernising transport systems is vital to meeting Botswana’s development goals.

Minister Keoagile Atamelang has stated that this will require changing the way some things have been done. He highlighted that the provision of high-quality city transport services is needed in public transport to encourage car users to switch to public transport, and this will help reduce traffic on busy city roads, make them safer and minimise pollution.

As engagement with stakeholders begins ahead of the planned Pitso, information has emerged that the government has stolen an idea which was long conceived as far back as 2019. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government continues to attract criticism for its failure to come up with initiatives and projects but implement those of the past regime of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

More worrisome is the lack of Citizen Economic Empowerment enforcement by the government, where projects are given to foreigners on direct appointment or where party scouters have been filtering into government processes, especially in procurement. Botswana Guardian has records that show that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and Gaborone City Council (GCC) are seized with a proposal for the Rapid Transport System Project.

The last interaction with the Ministry of Transport and Communication, and the City Council on the same project with a local Joint Venture (JV) was in December 2019. The response then was the government's lack of a regulatory framework on Public Private Partnership and home-grown privately-funded project initiatives.

Correspondence has revealed that there have not been any positive responses, with proposals gathering dust at the ministry, GCC and BITC.

The latest proposal to the GCC was made on April 2 this year, where a JV requested to make a presentation on the project. The company, Long Acre Investment, said it is pursuing untapped projects in the ever-growing economy of Botswana. In this project, the company has entered into a joint Venture with a South African conglomerate that has years of experience in delivering Rapid Transport Systems.

Discussions were to centre around the feasibility of introducing the system in Botswana, deductive indicators of value in public transport development in Botswana, models of infusing current public transport operators, especially concerning inner-city networking, and distilling the concept of 'Public Transport', noting the systemic transition that may raise the pros and cons of direct ownership and operation by a government entity.

According to the proposal, the local operators will not be driven out of business. They will use connectivity roads and their routes. It called for a major makeshift of the city networks before the project could start. Long Acre Investment had secured partnerships in South Africa, Germany, and Switzerland, according to records seen by Botswana Guardian.

While the project remains one of the ambitious initiatives of the government technocrats at the government enclave, the private sector has argued that it is being rushed and stands to fail even at pilot level. It is argued that the government lacks the capacity and financial muscle to run the project of this magnitude.

The government has been advised to allow the private sector to run the project as there are already local companies which have shown interest in the project. The government is likely to make a huge loss and local transport operators may be driven out of business.

The proposals seen by this publication suggest that even the infrastructure in Gaborone, poor as it is, is not ready for the project. The use of only electric buses could negatively affect consistency due to uncertainty of power

supply. The private sector had proposed the use of combined fuel and electric buses.

'It is not wise for the government to want to run the project. There will be losses incurred. We have a solid proposal here at BITC by private companies. The government should just facilitate. You allow the private sector to run bus stops and pay points. In that way, you do not get your money from operations but rather from premiums. This will also ensure the government can control transport fares,' a source at BITC said.

The status of the Gaborone Bus rank has also been spotlighted as its current state is not suitable for the project. Another local businessman, Shadrack Baaitse, has laid claim to the project.

According to Baaitse, he has long submitted a metropolitan public transport plan aimed at introducing a modern bus network in Gaborone, with students and daily commuters identified as key beneficiaries.

The Gaborone Metropolitan Transit (GMT) proposed the operation of 28 electric buses, each with a capacity of 20 passenger seats. GMT proposed a daily trip fare of P8.00, while students would be offered an unlimited monthly Metro Pass for P300.00. It identified several corridors as potential sources of demand.

On Tuesday this week, transport operators held a discussion with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on the proposed TANA public transport model. The engagement focused on building a unified, efficient and commuter-centred public transport system that integrates bus and metro rail services.

The Ministry confirmed that a Pitso will be called with Bus and Taxi Associations to ensure all views from the sector are captured as the model is refined. Latest reports from South Africa have shown the model to be problematic and commuters preferring the old mode of transport.

This has raised concern that the project might fail to take off.

'This is a futuristic project. You should have everything in order. The problem is if the project fails, you cannot blame the investor because it is ill-conceived. There will be a need for a service fee for a company that will be running this pilot project,” a senior official at the transport ministry said.

Another issue, the official said, is that you will need an investor who will stay for the long term, not the one who will disappear once piloting fails. Even the need for citizen participation is key.'

Added the source: 'The problem with our government is running projects with friends who could at the same time be a front for certain people. In the past, there has been a systematic way of sourcing ideas from citizens.

Not what we see: people making presentations and proposals with all the technical and financial commitments made only for the project to be given to another person. As for citizens, the Citizen Economic Empowerment law will just remain on paper.'

The government has previously asked companies to register project proposals with TANA for consideration. However, the approach has attracted criticism, and it remains unclear whether the project will move forward or simply join the long list of announced initiatives that failed to take off.