People to see and places to be…

October 18, 2024

What exactly does transport mean for humankind? SHARMINI NAIDOO explains that we don’t use transport for the fun of it, but because “we’ve got people to see and places to be”!

The main purpose of transportation has been defined as “connecting people to destinations they value”. It is an essential component of a functioning society and plays a vital role in the development, communication, and coordination of all sectors of the economy. It is essentially an enabler for goods and people, supporting our habits, patterns, and day-to-day living. Transportation is a fundamental right.

According to Liftango, the reasons why access to transport is so important include the fact that public transport is better for the environment and a preferable option to private and single-occupancy vehicles, as well as creating social and financial equity. It also provides health benefits and access to employment, enables mobility, and combats social exclusion and transport disadvantage.

Author Kate Ascher notes that “mobility is a key condition of access to employment, housing, education, culture and leisure, and family. The right to work, to have a home, to training involves the right to mobility… in a sense this right to mobility is a precondition of the other rights”.

Without the right to be mobile and access services, everything else falls short; public transport paves the way for mobility – particularly for those who don’t have an alternative means of transport.

In South Africa, we have four main modes of public transport: the commuter rail system, Gautrain, the subsidised and unsubsidised commuter bus industry (including BRT when operational), and the minibus taxi industry. Low ridership, lack of public transport accessibility in rural areas, equity imbalances, and congestion are some of the major challenges.

As a country, we have recognised that transport plays a significant role in social and economic development, and it has been identified as one of five main priority areas for socio-economic development. The effectiveness of transport’s role is largely dictated by the soundness of transport policy and the strategies used in implementing that policy.

According to the National Policy White Paper, the broad goal of transport is to enable smooth and efficient interaction that allows society and the economy to assume their preferred form. To play this role, policies in the transport sector must be outward-looking, shaped by the needs of society in general, transport users or customers, and the economy that transport must support.

The policy goals and objectives of the paper remain as valid and relevant as ever, yet we still face serious issues in the country, whether with the movement of people (both private and public), goods, infrastructure, or funding.

The findings of the 2013 National Household Travel Survey indicated that 68.8% of South African households use taxi services daily, followed by commuter buses (21.1%) and commuter rail services (9.9%).

People with lower incomes tend to rely more on public transport due to necessity and affordability, rather than preference. As a result, public transport systems have traditionally been subsidised to reduce negative externalities, minimise users’ costs, and increase ridership.

It is widely accepted that public transport can ease congestion and is better for the environment, as it can significantly assist in achieving net-zero emissions goals. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reported that well-funded public transport services, which provide easy access for all citizens to the opportunities they seek, are essential to decarbonising transport, making cities more liveable, and connecting people living in rural areas.

A Scottish study, meanwhile, indicated that implementing one double-decker bus is equivalent to removing 75 single-occupancy cars from Scotland’s roads, and replacing car journeys with public transport can help reduce CO₂ emissions by 42%.

And yet the bus industry has not grown as it should have, and funding is always an issue. So, why haven’t we seen any sizeable growth in the bus industry? Recently, the industry has been criticised for not covering certain routes, infrequent service during off-peak hours, and ageing fleets. Unfortunately, this is due to contracting authorities limiting routes and operators being unable to expand services because of insufficient funding.

In Gauteng, some operators have indicated that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) is planning to rationalise some of the recently concluded negotiated contracts and services by 20 to 50% due to budget constraints. This poses a major risk to the bus industry.

The GDRT has described this as a “temporary reduction” in services but has not been able to indicate to operators how long this reduction will last. Should this proceed as planned, it will not only affect operators who have already procured and repaired buses based on contract provisions and phasing-in plans, but it will also mean the withdrawal of existing services, affecting tens of thousands of bus commuters in Gauteng. Sadly, the industry would also face major job losses and retrenchments.

A public tender has also been published for potential replacement operators to step in to take over contracted services from existing negotiated contract operators on short notice. Whether this is to fill the gap (or replace operators) if the negotiated contracts cannot perform their services due to rationalisation is unclear. SABOA has requested an urgent meeting with the Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport to obtain some clarity.

In December last year, SABOA met with the MEC and the negotiating team amidst concerns about the lack of funding, and operators were assured that funding would be found if needed. An affordability analysis was also conducted before negotiations. Earlier this year, the province cited funding constraints due to the cancellation of e-Tolls and the R20 billion debt of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, which it absorbed. Why this has to come at the expense of the bus industry remains a mystery!