Frustrated rail commuters are being forced to pay more on taxis fares on a daily basis due to the suspension of trains in Gauteng.
Trains have not been operating in the province for over five months after they were shut down due to the national lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. But other routes, such as the eastern corridor, had been suspended even before the lockdown due to large scale vandalism and theft of infrastructure.
Commuters were left with no choice, but to use taxis which over the past two months have substantially increased their fares saying operational costs have surged. Despite the much-vaunted BRT bus service Harambee, thousands of commuters in the region have not been linked to the service yet.
Phumlani Ndlovu used to travel from Tembisa to his business in Germiston by train for 20 years. Until recently, he spent R140 on a monthly ticket and never had to worry about further transport costs afterwards.
Ndlovu now spends R48 a day which totals to R960 a month, leaving him with very little for his wife and child.
“It is tough for everyone, but it is worse for me because I am self-employed. It has hit me hard in the pocket. I sell food on the train and outside the Germiston train station.
“I am unable to spend on all the needs of my family. Most of the money I make each day goes to my transport costs. If I make R200, the R50 will go to transport and at home I have to buy things for my family. This makes it difficult for me to have money to buy stock for the next day.
“This year has been tough for my family. We’ve resorted to buying only the basics and nothing more," Ndlovu said.
Joel Haletuke, who used the train from Garankuwa to Arcadia, Pretoria, said it costs him R7.90 for a single train trip, while a taxi costs R45. Using taxis now translates to R2,000 a month on transport costs which is about 40% of Haletuke’s salary.
With three school-going children and a wife, life without trains is tough for Haletuke.
“My wife is not working and I am the only breadwinner. Imagine the kind of situation I find myself in. They really have to bring back the trains as a matter of urgency. It is the only public transport for the poor,” Haletuke said.
Transport analyst Paul Browning said it was critical for the government to bring back rail in a city region like Gauteng as it provides transport to the poor.
Browning said all the government’s plans and policies place rail as the backbone of public transport in the country.
The absence of rail, Browning added, placed immense pressure on the alternatives such as buses and taxis.
“If we look at major cities around the world, almost all of them have highly efficient rail systems. In a large city or city region, it is the mode of transport that moves a large number of people in a concentrated peak period. It has that capacity. We simply have to find ways in which the rail system is brought back to first of all an acceptable schedule operations and allow it to play its part in an integrated public transport system. We really can’t do without it,” he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.