ETHEKWINI TRANSPORT AUTHORITY: FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS IN BUILDING A SMARTER, SAFER, AND MORE CONNECTED TRANSPORT NETWORK

OVER the past five years, the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) has made significant strides in transforming the City’s transport landscape through strategic infrastructure investment, innovation, safety interventions, and progressive mobility planning. Highlighting these gains is the City’s Five-Year Service Delivery Milestones campaign being rolled out under the theme: Asimile Siyaqhuba: Resilience Through Adversity.
These milestones made by ETA reflect the City’s commitment to building an integrated, efficient, safe, and sustainable transport system that supports economic growth, urban regeneration, and improved quality of life for all residents.
ADVANCING TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
A key focus area has been the implementation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), which seeks to create connected, accessible urban spaces centred around public transport corridors.
The pilot that is being implemented in Pinetown will reshape how people live, work, and move by encouraging mixed-use development, reducing travel distances, and improving access to public transport services.
This initiative has allowed the City to assess practical interventions, gather operational insights, and refine strategies that can be replicated across other strategic transport nodes in eThekwini.
SUPPORTING INNER CITY REGENERATION
Transport infrastructure continues to play a vital role in supporting the regeneration of Durban’s inner city. Strategic upgrades to road networks, pedestrian facilities, public transport systems, and traffic management have contributed to improving accessibility, supporting commercial activity, and creating a more functional urban environment.
REDESIGNING PUBLIC TRANSPORT FOR THE FUTURE
Over the past five years, significant work has gone into redesigning public transport systems to improve efficiency, reliability, and user experience. This includes route planning improvements and operational integration efforts as part of the broader Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN), and the development of systems such as closed-circuit television cameras on buses aimed at creating a more seamless public transport network for commuters.
LAUNCH OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT CALL CENTRE
The establishment of the Public Transport Call Centre has strengthened communication between commuters and the City. Channels such as telephone, WhatsApp and email provide residents with improved access to transport information, service updates and customer support, enhancing responsiveness and service delivery. Phone: 087 121 9446 WhatsApp: 071 374 1862 Email: [email protected]
ELECTRIFICATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT
As part of its sustainability agenda, discussions and plans have reached an advanced stage for the City to shift toward the electrification of public transport. This milestone supports environmental objectives by reducing emissions, lowering operational costs over time, and positioning eThekwini to embrace cleaner mobility solutions.
SHEPSTONE ROAD CONVERSION
The successful conversion of Shepstone Road marks another important infrastructure milestone. This intervention has improved traffic flow, enhanced road safety, and strengthened network efficiency within and around the Point precinct.
SHAPING THE FUTURE THROUGH CIPT 2024–2029
The development of the Comprehensive Integrated Public Transport (CIPT) Plan 2024–2029 sets a clear strategic direction for the next phase of transport transformation. The plan outlines key priorities aimed at improving public transport accessibility, strengthening modal integration, and responding to evolving mobility needs across the City.
SAFER ROADS THROUGH GUARDRAIL AND SPEED HUMP IMPLEMENTATION
Road safety remains a core priority. The implementation of guardrails and speed humps across strategic locations has helped reduce risks for both motorists and pedestrians, contributing to safer road environments, particularly in high-risk areas. During the past two financial years, the City has implemented approximately 130 traffic calming projects across multiple wards, with an estimated investment of R12 million. The projects are aimed at reducing speeding, improving pedestrian protection, and enhancing safety in residential areas, school zones and other high-risk locations.
TRAFFIC SIGNAL INNOVATION
The City has continued to modernise traffic management through signal innovations designed to improve traffic flow and network responsiveness. Traffic vandalism has been a huge challenge within the City, and in the past three years approximately 6 000 traffic light repairs have been done costing the City R40 000. These advancements support smarter traffic control, reduced congestion, and more efficient movement across key intersections. These achievements represent more than infrastructure milestones. They reflect a broader vision of creating a transport system that is integrated, inclusive, resilient, and future ready.
As the City of Durban grows, evolves, and progresses, the focus from a transport perspective remains on innovation, safety, sustainability, and delivering solutions that meet these needs.