Transport and Public Works

With regard to the Golden Arrow Bus Services and the two electric buses introduced by the Minister on 5 July 2021:

(a) Whether the two BYD electric buses are the same buses procured by the City of Cape Town and delivered to the City in 2018 before the City cancelled the tender, (b) who owned the buses that the Golden Arrow Bus Services has acquired, (c) how were they (i) acquired by, (ii) procured by and (iii) allocated to the Golden Arrow Bus Services, (d) whether the buses are owned by the Golden Arrow Bus Services, (e) what role did the Western Cape provincial government and/or the Department of Transport and Public Works play in this, (f) what procurement process was followed if the WCG was involved, (g) is this permitted in terms of the Provincial Transport Operations Grant (PTOG) or other subsidies provided to the service, (h) how does the use of electric buses on routes affect the operating subsidy for the two electric buses given the operational costs differential, (i) what role did the uYilo Kickstart Fund play in the arrangement, (j) how does uYilo Kickstart Fund finance the pilot project, (k) how long will the pilot project operate for and (l) why are the buses not being used on longer direct routes, for example from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain, in order to test their range?