The last of the 36 minibuses of the GO GEORGE fleet have recently arrived in George.

The complete fleet now consists of 36 standard buses, 24 midibuses and 36 minibuses. Once the four buses that were destroyed in August 2015 have been replaced, the first fleet order will total 100 buses.

GO GEORGE has however announced that they are in the process of acquiring more buses to service the increase in demand that is being experienced.

The GO GEORGE minibus is continually making waves nationally because of its accessibility features – a first in minibus public transport in South Africa.

According to Harold Basson, Director of Civil Engineering Services of the George Municipality, the challenge lay in acquiring an appropriate minibus vehicle, as they are not currently commercially available in South Africa.

“A basic Mercedes Benz Sprinter was converted and customised to suit Government’s requirements to ensure public transport vehicles are accessible to all,” Basson said.

“We are indeed so proud of this unique vehicle in our fleet, and commend the team for the incredible amount of research, planning and design that preceded the final result. It required a collaborative effort between all three tiers of government and the vehicle supplier,” said the Executive Mayor of George, Alderman Charles Standers.

A comprehensive article about GO GEORGE features in the current issue by IMIESA, the official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA). Much emphasis is placed on the development of the GO GEORGE minibus.

George, at the moment, is the only city in South Africa that has a fully accessible bus fleet.

Click here to read more.