Bombela Operating Company CEO Nthabiseng Kubheka is extremely proud of what her employees have managed to achieve with the Gautrain—and she believes there is a lot more to come.
Bombela Operating Company (BOC) is the maintainer and operator of the Gautrain, which is a rapid rail system in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is also the South African branch of leading international public transit operator RATP, which runs the rail and bus network of Paris, France.
The Gautrain rail system is supported by the feeder systems, made up of minibuses and buses which carry travelers from where they live to the train stations. Nthabiseng’s team of roughly 500 employees and 1 600 contractor employees ensures that the systems are operated and maintained in an efficient manner – meaning with the highest safety and quality standards, and minimum impact on the environment.
BOC’s values of safety, customer focus, inclusion, and integrity are demonstrated in all activities at all levels of the company, with their CEO, Nthabiseng Kubheka, driving those values from the very top.
Kubheka says: ”I am extremely proud of what the team has achieved in the past 13 years, not only in terms of technical expertise but through our role in the local community. We’ve created the high standards and efficiency that the Gautrain system is known for. We are a proudly South African and transformed company, we have created employment for the youth (35% of workforce) thanks to our in-house training capabilities, and we have achieved gender balance at 50/50 with females well represented in technical and leadership roles. We pay particular attention to developing our employees’ skills and expertise, and creating opportunities for growth.”
In terms of high level support, BOC have two shareholders, namely: RATP Dev, a global public transport giant operating rail, bus and trams networks in 15 countries and more than 100 cities, and South African company Strategic Partners Group, who have an impressive footprint in business within the country.
To support their operations and maintenance activities, BOC have partnered with a number of local and international partners on a sub-contracting basis, with the main two being Bombela Maintenance Company (a subsidiary of Alstom) for their core system, and Mega Express for their bus feeder system.
A proud partnership
BOC’s relationship with Gautrain started when it was contracted by the concessionaire to operate the first rapid rail system in 2007, building up to 2010 and the hosting of the FIFA World Cup.
One simply has to take a trip on the Gautrain to understand the incredible work BOC has managed with this mammoth undertaking, a fact which Kubheka is extremely proud of.
”It’s an intricate and well-run system that has stringent key performance indicators such as station cleanliness, train availability, punctuality, and safety of passengers and their property, to name but a few,” she explains.
”We have world-class technology and operating systems that enable us to maintain above 90% ranking in all our deliverables, to continue the premium service we’ve been able to provide as per our contractual obligations. This ensures ourclient is satisfied and, most importantly, that passengers have a pleasant experience on the system.”
The proof really is in the pudding when it comes to BOC’s handling of their Gautrain contract—and it sends out a strong message to other cities and provinces looking for a partner.
Kubheka’s promise to any prospective client is that while BOC’s excellent track record speaks for itself, the nitty gritty of their commitment will always contain technical expertise, operational strength, and a great understanding of the African market.
”We’re benchmarking on global standards, which we meet and exceed. 13 years of consistent delivery on the Gautrain is a great motivating factor. It wasn’t by chance that we got it right; there is a system in place, and it works. Potential clients should look to partner with us if they are looking for a world-class operator and maintainer of their transport systems, who is both knowledgeable and will get the job done,” she insists.
In order to improve our public transport sector, Kubheka believes that many lessons can be learned from BOC’s work with Gautrain. She is also of the belief that more partnerships can lead to an improvement to the mobility of all South Africans.
”There is obviously a huge need for our public transport system to raise the bar to enable easy and safe mobility to the majority of South Africans that need this for economic activity and access to opportunities. The model of the Gautrain has also demonstrated how the public and private sector can collaborate to provide an efficient public transport system. As a private operator, we believe there is a space for bigger private sector participation in improving our infrastructure and service offering that can be measured through clear key performance indicators,” Kubheka adds.
Success is bred
While many will say that success is earned in business, one could also argue that it is bred under the right environment.
BOC has a history of breeding success within its operations, with the core focus on upskilling and trusting the right people to perform to the best of their abilities.
While Kubheka is thankful for the assistance provided by shareholder RATP Dev for their international expertise, BOC’s success is largely down to their ability to engage their employees on processes that produce the best results.
”BOC is a people’s business. Our teams play a major role in making us successful. We have a high retention rate in terms of our operational staff, most of whom have been with BOC since inception. They are the experts who have improved the system, understood it, and dedicated their skills to improving gaps. Our technical expertise enables us to ensure the trains are well maintained, safe, and reliable at all times,” she enthuses.
”Operationally, the systems we use are live, meaning that everything is monitored in real-time by our employees. This is how we’re able to respond immediately to any situation, because we’re always on the ball. The high level of focus on safety and security of the infrastructure and customers allows us to have minimum disruption to service.
”The result of all this is reliability. The passenger can rely on the service because it is predictable. One can plan accordingly and expect the same quality of service repeatedly.”
A leader for the people
If it hasn’t become obvious that Kubheka and Bombela Operating Company hold their employees in high regard yet, it is about to become very clear.
According to Kubheka, a leader needs to spend the majority of their time taking care of their employees’ needs, as that will enable them to be on their A game all of the time.
This in turn leads to high customer satisfaction and ensures sustainability of the business.
”Alignment of all our employees and contractors to the vision, mission, values, and focus areas of the company has played a big part in getting us on the right track, with a strong performance culture where everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and why,” she reveals.
”Leadership is about people, integrity, being fair at all times, setting direction for your team with your team, and inspiring people daily to deliver results that could never have even seemed possible. Leadership is about knowing that your second job is that of being a teacher and being passionate about the growth and development of those you lead.”
In closing, Kubheka made it very clear as to the direction she and BOC are heading to—and this includes ensuring that everyone is able to benefit from their magic touch.
”I would like us to continue delivering exceptional results for our customers and remain the preferred operator and maintainer of the Gautrain. Personally, and for BOC, I would like to see our expertise come to use in other public transport systems in South Africa. We are good at what we do, we are impacting positively the communities around us through our CSI activities and education, as well as financial support for our university scholarship recipients, so we want to continue doing all this on a bigger scale,” she concludes.
And we look forward to seeing what the future holds for Kubheka and Bombela Operating Company.
