Public Transit in South African Cities by Monica Johnson

A large contribution to the success of urban life is a city’s public transport system. This not only applies in South Africa, but in the world as a whole. In several classes at Northeastern I have been able to learn and criticize public transportation systems in the U.S. which has made me draw a lot of comparison points to the transportation seen in South Africa. While public transport is often overlooked if one doesn’t live in an urban city, this infrastructure contributes to the growth or decline of an entire city, regardless of the country or continent.

Since we’ve arrived I have seen any types of transportation in the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Though they have very different systems of transport, these systems are equally important in both cities. In Johannesburg the main source of transport other than owning a car is to use a taxi. While there is a great Uber presence in South Africa, taxis are often more affordable and easier to access by those without internet or a smartphone. However, through our dependency on these means of transport we also learned more about the competition between driving services. Uber and taxis often compete for clientele, however it was interesting to experience this market in a city unfamiliar to me. We were unaware that this issue was present, until we became involved in the competition directly. The high unemployment rates in South Africa cause a greater dependency on these means of income, so the globalization of car services has directly impacted the jobs and incomes of South African citizens.

In addition to this competition, the placement of taxi services also impacts many jobs. In some communities, taxis are not located near the people that needed them most. These taxis being out of reach not only impacts the money earned by the driver, but also makes many people unable to obtain employment in the city. This not only contributes to the cycle of poverty, but also impacts the city on an overall economic level. Residents begin earning income in informal manners, whether it be shops in their homes, services, or selling goods at markets or tourist heavy locations. The need for public transport has consequences for each resident as an individual, as well as the whole city, which is why they are so important to build and maintain.