Author: Nadine Payle

The development of the transfer precinct at the Garden Route Mall offers a sheltered terminal facility with seating, and six shelters at bus stops. The existing smart card kiosk was integrated into the design. / Die ontwikkeling van die oorklimgebied by die Garden Route Mall bied ‘n beskutte terminus met sitplekke en ses skuilings by bushaltes. Die bestaande slimkaartkiosk is by die ontwerp geïntegreer.

Almost 10 years ago, GO GEORGE rolled out the first four bus routes to Rosemoor, Denneoord, Loerie Park and the Garden Route Mall with a fleet of 12 buses. Today, the GO GEORGE bus service transports almost 20 000 passengers per weekday with a fleet of 133 buses, over a network of 33 routes and 465 km.

Celebrating National Transport Month in October, GO GEORGE Manager, Morné Lakay, expressed his gratitude for the progress and growth of the past year. “Nothing gives us greater pleasure than seeing the community benefitting from our services, increasingly using this convenient and affordable way of travelling to work, school and wherever they need to go,” he said.
“The crowning achievement for the past year is undoubtedly the roll-out of a first route to Thembalethu.

With the construction of the Thembalethu/N2 bridge completed recently, a second route transporting residents to the industrial area where many work, is set to be activated soon. More routes will continually be rolled out as capacity and circumstances allow.”

Infrastructure development
The development of the transfer precinct at the Garden Route Mall comprised construction of a sheltered terminal facility with seating, encompassing the existing Smart Card kiosk. The modern design was based on that of the George Transport Hub in the city centre.

The project also included the installation of six bus shelters – two of which were special shelters to accommodate the high volume of passengers; construction of universally accessible sidewalks, electrical works for lighting within the shelters and terminal facility, and the supply and installation of a UPS system to power the entire transfer location.

Road upgrades

One of the achievements of the past year was the roll-out of the GO GEORGE bus service to Thembalethu. Here buses can be seen departing from the Jonga circle at the furthest point of Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Thembalethu./ Een van die prestasies van die afgelope jaar was die uitrol van die GO GEORGE-busdiens na Thembalethu. Hier kan gesien word hoe busse vanaf die Jonga-sirkel op die verste punt van Nelson Mandela-boulevard in Thembalethu vertrek.

Municipal road upgrades are continuously being done on roads all over town as funding allows.
This includes roads currently being used to provide the public transport service as well as roads that will be needed for the service in future.

Rehabilitation and upgrading of Golf Street in Parkdene and Hope Street in George South were completed recently, while construction in Ngcakani Street and Tabata Street in Thembalethu, and several roads in Rosemoor and Pacaltsdorp are underway or starting soon.

Enhanced online features
An exciting addition to the customer-service offering is the new-look GO GEORGE website which is being promoted as a one-stop source of information, accessible through the scanning of a QR code, or by entering the web address www.gogeorge.org.za.

Enhanced features include timetables fed directly from the system database and a stop explorer where a stop number or name can be entered to provide the user with all the routes servicing a specific stop, as well as the times the bus is scheduled to depart at that stop.

The bus stop explorer is one of the new features on the revamped GO GEORGE website./ Die “stopverkenner” is een van die nuwe kenmerke op die opgeknapte GO GEORGE-webwerf.

The use of QR codes leading users to the website has been introduced and explained to passengers and will eventually also be displayed at bus stops for easy access to stop-specific information.

Customer care continues existing services through communication champions, an info kiosk and the Call Centre where passengers who require additional guidance or information can phone 0800 044 044 to speak to an agent seven days a week, from 05:00 util 20:00.

Aside from the new features, the website www.gogeorge.org.za offers detailed information regarding the use of the system, while the GO GEORGE Facebook page provides in-time service notifications and handy tips about using the service.

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GO GEORGE vier mylpale tydens Vervoermaand

GO GEORGE het byna 10 jaar gelede die eerste vier busroetes na Rosemoor, Denneoord, Loeriepark en die Garden Route Mall met ‘n vloot van 12 busse bekendgestel. Vandag vervoer die GO GEORGE-busdiens byna 20 000 passasiers per weeksdag met ‘n vloot van 133 busse, oor ‘n netwerk van 33 roetes en 465 km.

Ter viering van Nasionale Vervoermaand in Oktober het GO GEORGE-bestuurder, Morné Lakay, sy dankbaarheid uitgespreek vir die vordering en groei van die afgelope jaar. “Niks verskaf ons groter plesier as om te sien hoe die gemeenskap voordeel trek uit ons dienste en toenemend hierdie gerieflike en bekostigbare manier gebruik om werk en skool toe en waarheen hulle ook al moet gaan, te ry nie,” het hy gesê.

“Die kroon op die afgelope jaar se prestasies is ongetwyfeld die bekendstelling van ‘n eerste roete na Thembalethu. Met die bou van die Thembalethu/N2-brug wat onlangs voltooi is, sal ‘n tweede roete na die nywerheidsgebied, waar baie inwoners werk, binnekort geaktiveer word. Meer roetes sal voortdurend uitgerol word soos kapasiteit en omstandighede dit toelaat.”

Ontwikkeling van infrastruktuur
Die ontwikkeling van die oorklimgebied by die Garden Route Mall sluit ‘n beskutte terminus met sitplekke in, sowel as die reeds bestaande slimkaartkiosk. Die moderne ontwerp is gebaseer op dié van die George-vervoerkern (Transport Hub) in die middedorp. Die projek het ook die installering van ses busskuilings behels, waarvan twee spesiale skuilings is om die groot volume passasiers te akkommodeer. Voorts is universeel-toeganklike sypaadjies gebou, elektriese toerusting geïnstalleer vir beligting binne die skuilings en die terminus, asook ononderbroke kragvoorsiening om die hele oorklimgebied aan te dryf.

Padopgraderings
Munisipale padopgraderings word voortdurend op paaie regoor die dorp gedoen soos befondsing dit toelaat. Dit sluit in paaie wat tans gebruik word om die openbare vervoerdiens te verskaf, asook paaie wat in die toekoms vir die diens benodig sal word.

Rehabilitation and upgrading of Golf Street in Parkdene were completed recently. Pedestrian safety and universal accessibility are important features of the project./ Rehabilitasie en opgradering van Golfstraat in Parkdene is onlangs voltooi. Voetgangerveiligheid en universele toeganklikheid is belangrike kenmerke van die projek.

Rehabilitasie en opgradering van Golfstraat in Parkdene en Hoopstraat in George-Suid is onlangs voltooi, terwyl konstruksie in Ngcakanistraat en Tabatastraat in Thembalethu en verskeie paaie in Rosemoor en Pacaltsdorp aan die gang is of binnekort begin.

Verbeterde aanlynfunksies
‘n Opwindende toevoeging tot die kliëntediensaanbod is die nuwe voorkoms van die GO GEORGE-webwerf wat aanbeveel word as ‘n eenstopbron van inligting – toeganklik deur die skandering van ‘n QR-kode, of deur die webadres www.gogeorge.org.za in te voer.

Verbeterde kenmerke sluit in tydroosters wat direk vanaf die stelseldatabasis gevoer word en ‘n “stopverkenner” waar ‘n bushaltenommer of -naam ingevoer kan word om die gebruiker te voorsien van al die roetes wat ‘n spesifieke halte bedien, sowel as die tye wat die bus geskeduleer is om by daardie halte te vertrek.

Die gebruik van QR-kodes wat gebruikers na die webwerf lei, is bekendgestel en aan passasiers verduidelik en sal uiteindelik ook by bushaltes vertoon word vir maklike toegang tot halte-spesifieke inligting.

Kliëntediens gaan voort met bestaande dienste deur middel van passasiersdiensbeamptes, ‘n inligtingskiosk en die inbelsentrum (0800 044 044) waarheen passasiers van 05:00 tot 20:00, sewe dae per week, kan skakel indien hulle ondersteuning of inligting benodig.

Afgesien van die nuwe kenmerke, bied die webwerf www.gogeorge.org.za ook gedetailleerde inligting oor die gebruik van die stelsel, terwyl die GO GEORGE Facebook-blad voortdurend dienskennisgewings en handige wenke oor die gebruik van die diens verskaf.

George Municipal Council approved the renaming of Albert Street and Sandkraal Road to Nelson Mandela Boulevard, in honor of former President Nelson Mandela in August 2013.

The name change was advertised in the George Herald and notifications regarding these changes were sent to property owners on 5 November 2013. Relevant authorities were informed to update their records accordingly. The municipality acknowledges that full implementation of the name change can take time, and not all property owners may have updated their addresses.

Property owners are encouraged to update their physical addresses to avoid any confusion in navigation, ensuring that customers, friends, and service providers can locate their premises easily. This is particularly important in emergency situations, where accurate address information is critical.

The municipality emphasizes that physical addresses should be correctly reflected on municipal accounts. Property owners can contact the municipality to update their postal addresses or correct any inaccuracies in their account details. Business owners and corporate organizations are also advised to ensure that all online marketing platforms display the correct street addresses to avoid any disruptions in service or customer interactions.

Enquiries in this regard may be directed to cebester@george.gov.za or call 044 801 9117.