The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) described South Africa’s transport system as stellar in an African context but notes that the quality is uneven and requires significant investment. It highlights government co-ordination as a major factor for success. The National Household Travel Survey and other research revealed the following:
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) described South Africa’s transport system as stellar in an African context but notes that the quality is uneven and requires significant investment. It highlights government co-ordination as a major factor for success. The National Household Travel Survey and other research revealed the following:
• The current public transport system carries 39.7% of people to work daily – 85% of who are found in metropolitan and urban areas.
• 36.2% of people use private transport, while 52.3% use non-motorised transport.
• While we have to provide public transport for the duration, we must not lose sight of the fact
that post-World Cup, the modes that are used by the greatest number of our people include non-motorised transport.
• The current transportation system has not failed to transport many South Africans to sports events. The Africa Soccer Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup, among others, went without transport hitches.
• Almost every other week, there is an international conference of one form or another in South Africa without transportation problems.
• Minibus taxis as an informal transport system make 67.9% of a total number of trips.
This highlights the important role that a wellmanaged minibus taxi system can play as the core focus of public transportation, and the new transportation subsidy regime of government is shifting towards the direction of supporting this sector.
• The South African Bus Operators Association (SABOA) has a membership of more than 20 000 buses spread around the country; 15 000 of those buses are used for public transport and 500 are used by companies to transport their employees free of charge.
These buses undertake more than 720 million km trips per year. Long distance travel is served by 400 coaches catering mainly for tourism and 800 luxury or semi-luxury busses for intercity.
• South Africa is faced with 14 000 yearly fatalities resulting from accidents on our roads
• These accidents are caused by various reasons, from unroadworthy vehicles, driver fatigue and unfitness, alcohol consumption and speeding.
• Statistics tell us that 90% of crashes are caused by breaking the law, and the vast majority of accidents are preceded by a traffic law violation
