Put VIPs in public transport and see the difference
There is a steady decline in the number of people using trains and buses in cities, while those responsible for fixing the system have little incentive to make things better
Every year October arrives and we are reminded by the government that it is the month to celebrate transport achievement, with the assurance that the government is working to improve SA's public transport system. Unfortunately for the majority, this jingle is tired. Let’s unpack the past decade: R36bn invested in developing a train that serves the wealthy few of Johannesburg (with a plan to expand to deliberately service poorer areas some time in future); and the single largest procurement deal in SA history to improve the Passenger Rail Agency SA's Metrorail service, but with little to show for it other than more stories of unacceptable service levels, violent commuter protests and devastating train accidents. Addressing these things takes time, decades in fact. Meanwhile, taxpayers will have to carry the R90bn repayment for the loan used to upgrade Gauteng's freeways in a botched attempt to get vehicle users to pay for use of the upgraded freeways. Make no mistake, the freeways we...
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