The City of Johannesburg said on Monday that it would work round the clock to iron out operational and capacity challenges following the official launch of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on Sunday.

This followed reports that many taxis were not operating, despite the industry's decision not to go-ahead with its earlier planned strike in protest against the introduction of the BRT system.

"We are very disappointed that despite the decision, taxi drivers are not operating," said the city council's member of the mayoral committee for transportation, Rehana Moosajee.

"It shows a lack of respect for the millions of commuters who have been supporting them and using their services over the years."

She added that the taxi strike had put the BRT system "under extreme pressure" on it first full day of operation.

In response to the situation, the city was increasing capacity on the BRT lines.

"We are really encouraged by the overwhelming support we are already receiving from commuters and the general public," said Moosajee.

"We ask commuters to please be patient if they encounter long queues at stations - we understand that it will take a while for the system to run at first, but we would like to stress that buses will be running every five minutes during peak periods and every 20 minutes in off-peak periods.

"In addition, we have Rea Vaya ambassadors at every station to assist the public with enquiries."

Moosajee added that there would inevitably be teething problems, which on Monday had been exacerbated by some taxi drivers not working.

On Sunday, for example, when the system was launched officially, there was a problem with station doors not opening and closing as they should.

"The starter service provides us with an opportunity to test out all aspects of the service and to iron out any problem areas prior to introducing the service more broadly," noted Moosajee.

"We will have some problems as we begin, as with any major system that is introduced, but we are fully committed to sorting these out as quickly as possible to ensure a positive travelling experience for Rea Vaya passengers."

The BRT system's main routes see specialised buses run in dedicated lanes, stopping at specially designed stations, located roughly every 750 m along the way.

The 25-km starter service which kicked off on Sunday runs from Lakeview station, in Soweto, to Ellis Park station, also offering an inner-city complementary service. It operates in two shifts, with limited off-peak services.

The full phase 1A, to be implemented by January 2010, will use expanded trunk and feeder routes, and three-shift operations.