SO R3.2BN is to be spent on new coaches that will do 10,500 trips in 2026. (Popularity of Gautrain likely to result in falling subsidies, January 15). Spending money on any form of subsidised public transport is questionable while there are five different business models in force: Prasa, Gautrain, municipal buses, provincial buses and bus rapid transit. All of these "models" are weak, and need to be combined into one coherent model for every metropolitan area in SA.This scheme has nothing to do with more "efficient" cities. It is, to quote the front page of the Sunday Times of November 26 2006, "Gautrain: Who gets the gravy?".For that kind of money, we could buy 5,000 new 15-seater minibus taxis that could carry 75,000 x 2 = 150,000 trips a day. Sure, taxis might only last seven years or so, but they would be able to reach into every corner of Gauteng and could take 60,000 cars off the road.Vaughan MostertFairland
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