Transport robs commuters

February 10, 2012 | Filed underPopular News,Previous news | Posted by editor

The daily commute … Commuters queue up and wait to board the bus home after a long day’s work in the Bloemfontein city centre.
Public transport is the means by which most South Africans get to work every day. However, cash-strapped workers are spending as much as half their earnings on commuting between home and work every month.

The cost of public transport increases every year and transport fares in the Free State are no exception.
Motorists and transport operators had to fork out extra at the pumps again last week as the price of petrol spiked to R10.95 a litre, the highest price ever paid by South African consumers.

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These hikes affect lower income earners more severely than their middle-income counterparts as they spend a greater portion of their wages on public transport.

Maria Mofokeng, like many, works as a domestic worker in Bloemfontein. She lives in Thaba Nchu, some 70
kilometres away.
Mofokeng earns R1 480 per month but spends close to R500 on transport. She takes a bus from Thaba Nchu to Central Park in Bloemfontein and another one from there to
Langenhoven Park.

Mofokeng is a mother of two children, whom she has to support with her salary. With transport eating up a large chunk of her salary, she has to try to make the remaining money stretch far enough to buy food and clothing, and pay her children’s school fees.

A one-way trip by bus from Botshabelo or Thaba Nchu to Bloemfontein costs R17.50. A tag, which can be used for one month, costs R529.40.

This amount seems reasonable for people who can afford it, but for Mofokeng a month’s transport costs affect the quality of her daily life.

Minibus taxis cost over R50 a day and thus commuters find buses a more cost-effective form of transportation.

The spokesperson of Interstate Bus Lines, Thando Lepele, said the annual hike in bus fares are in line with economic conditions such as inflation, operational costs, exchange rates, and diesel costs.

“The annual ticket price/tariffs increment by Interstate Bus Lines is in line with all other bus operators in the country. It is a contractual condition as contracted with the Transport Authority to bring in line tariffs with the prevailing economic conditions such as escalating operational costs.”According to Lepele, since some of the buses are not subsidised by the Division of Revenue Act, commuters have to absorb the additional costs of the unsubsidised buses.

Concerning taxis, a trip to Botshabelo costs R17. A person who works in Bloemfontein would have to double that amount, and spend an extra R6 on taxi fare to reach their destination. This amounts to R58 per day on transport alone.

Taxi owner Mofosi Ntshalla said the fare from Bloemfontein to Botshabelo increased from R15 to R17 in December, forcing more people to hitch rides in an attempt to save money. Botshabelo taxis have reduced their prices to R10 to prevent people from hitchhiking but, according to Ntshalla, Bloemfontein taxi operators refuse to lower their prices.

“We are aware that Botshabelo taxi drivers are offloading passengers at the Caltex and Bloemfontein train station and then loading others at that area taking them to Bloemfontein. We are going to deal with the matter.”

Another taxi owner, Dingane Nhlapho, said taxi operators needed to put up their prices due to higher petrol prices, the hike in spare parts’ prices, and for salary increases for the drivers.
The spokesperson of the Department of Police Roads and Transport, Saki Mohono, said operational costs hike

bus fares.

Limited options available … Most commuters use minibus taxis as their main form of transportation.

He, however, said that Interstate Bus Lines is subsidised by government and should not hike prices excessively.

“The decision to negotiate subsidies is made by the department together with associations and commuters.”

Mohono explained that bus operators must motivate their price hike to the department, which then takes a final decision on the matter.

According to Arrive Alive, there are about 3.9 million public transport commuters in South Africa. The 2.5 million taxi commuters account for over 63 percent of public transport work trips, bus services account for another 22 percent of public transport commuters, and the balance are transported to work by train.  In addition to the 2.5 million commuters who use minibus taxis as their main mode of travel, there are another 325 000 commuters who use taxis as a feeder mode to other public transport services.
Thirty percent of households in the country spend more than 10 percent of their income on public transport, according to Arrive Alive.

Around the globe, commuters in large cities are forced to utilise public transportation because of expensive parking fees and taxes. This is done in an effort to ease congestion on roads and reduce air pollution caused by emissions.

Many developed countries utilise underground railway systems, which provide an efficient mode of transportation at a low cost to the consumer. However, to establish such a project requires massive infrastructural investment.

Digging deep again … Drivers were hit with another fuel price hike last week.

According to a survey done by tourism website Price of travel, Pyongyang in North Korea has the cheapest public transportation in the world. Commuters pay only R0.21 for a single trip on the underground metro train.

The second cheapest public transportation is in Caracas in Venezuela. There commuters pay between R0.84 and R1.96 for a single trip by bus or subway train.

Concerning a proposed commuter rail project, Mohono said the railway between Bloemfontein, Botshabelo, and Thaba Nchu will be replaced by a new rail system to be constructed between Maseru and Kimberley.

The initial cost of the project, calculated during a feasibility study, was estimated at R5-billion.

The new rail will be constructed inside the borders of Botshabelo, which will link to the already existing tracks that lead to Thaba Nchu.

The Free State Treasury has registered the project as a Public-Private Partnership, which will involve outsourced companies from the public sector to build the tracks.

“The project is expected to take four years to complete and we are hoping to begin the first phases of the project this year,” said Mohono.

He added that existing railway lines will be upgraded and this added to the cost of construction.  The Bloemfontein Railway Station, located at the corner of Maitland and Harvey Street, is still used by passengers travelling between Cape Town, Bloemfontein, and Gauteng.

While the Shosholoza train transports people from across the country, it only stops at selected stations in the Free State. There are, however, no short distance commuter rail services in the Free State, as is the case in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Public transportation costs across the globe
Pyongyang, North Korea (metro): R0.21
Caracas, Venezuela (metro, bus): R0.84 – R1.96
Delhi, India (metro): R1.26 – R4.62
Beijing, China (subway): R2.10
Auckland, New Zealand (bus, train): R2.66 – R9.66
Cape Town, South Africa (bus): R7.98
Sydney, Australia (metro, bus): R13.72 – R22.68
New York City, USA (subway, bus): R15.75
Montreal, Canada (metro, bus): R19.04
London, England (tube, bus, tram using discount card): R20.30 – R67.76
Venice, Italy (water bus): R62.30
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