Civil Engineering May 2021 | Vol 29 No 4

48 May 2021 Civil Engineering According to the Competition Commission’s main report on the Market Inquiry into the Land Based Public Passenger Transport Sector (March 2021), South Africans spend over 20% of their disposable income on public transport against a benchmark of 10% for devel- oping countries. Over 73% of rural workers spend more than 20% of their monthly household income per capita on public transport, while in urban areas this figure is as high as 60.1%, and in metros 54.7%. Minibus taxis are the most used mode of public transport, accounting for 66.5% of households that use public transport, while bus and rail account for 23.6% and 9.9% respectively. LACK OF INTEGRATION The National Land Transport Act (NLTA) (No. 5 of 2009) speaks to integrated public transport, covering all modes. It defines an Integrated Public Transport Network as a system in an area that integrates public transport services between modes using various mechanisms such as ticketing systems, and network and infrastructure sharing, with the ultimate objective of ensuring travel is done in a seamless manner. The report states that, “Integration is an integral part of any successful public transport network. With integration, competition between or among modes is eliminated, to achieve efficiencies.” However, the Commission did not find any evidence of integration among various modes of transport, except for Gautrain buses which are coordinated with the Gautrain timetables. It concluded that public transport in South Africa is still not considered as a network or system that facilitates easy connection between different transport modes. The Commission identified frag- mentation in the roles of each sphere of government in the provision of public transport as a contributing factor to the lack of integration. “While the NLTA clearly clarifies the roles of different spheres of government, ineffective intergovernmental relations have resulted in uncoordinated operations, creating inefficiencies,” states the report. Duplication of transport services by various modes on some routes – such as metropolitan municipalities running both metro bus and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services – is also identified as one of the inefficiencies arising because of a lack of coordination. The report goes on to explain that, with the exception of a few metros, public transport is not generally prioritised by local government, given its competing mandate of providing other basic services. Most municipalities do not have units dedicated to dealing with public transport, and public transport planning is therefore not given adequate focus and attention. Many municipalities also lack the neces- sary human capital and skills for proper transport planning and integration. The stark differences in infrastructure investment, service levels and quality standards in modes of transport was also identified as an impediment to integra- tion. The Commission found persistent inequality between modes (i.e. minibus taxi and BRT) and within modes (i.e. Gautrain and Metrorail). “The differences in service levels further deepens the SA public transport lacks integration and equality A market inquiry by the Competition Commission into the land-based public passenger transport sector found a lack of integration and high inequality within South Africa’s public transport system. The inquiry included road and rail based public passenger transport including buses, taxis, and commuter rail. Minibus taxis transport 66.5% of South African households despite receiving no operational subsidies (Credit: GCIS, GovernmentZA, Flickr)