Public transport in SA has been a controversial topic for decades, with many commuters often facing challenges in order to be able to reach their respective destinations daily.
Socio-economic factors, such as strikes, taxi violence, the ever-increasing price of fuel impacting on fares and non-commitments to timeous departures and arrivals, lead to commuters feeling frustrated and, with no alternative, helpless.
Daveyton resident and local commuter Maxwell Hadebe says for him, public transport is a way of life and the options are limited.
Maxwell is a general worker for a local business in Farrarmere.
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“I’ve been using public transport for around 14 years and travel to work from Monday to Saturday,” he explained.
“From Monday to Friday I use the train because it is cheaper than the taxi.
“The train arrives at the Northmead train station and from there I walk to work.”
At the day’s end, Maxwell walks back to the Northmead station and awaits the train that will take him home.
Although he begins work at 8am on a weekday, the daily commute starts at 5.50am.
Arriving at the Northmead station at 6.15am, Maxwell then commences his 15 minute walk into Farramere, arriving earlier than when his shift begins.
“There are trains that come in later, but sometimes the train is late and then you have to wait for it.
“Public transport can be very unreliable.
“The delay can take really long, so it’s better to leave early and arrive early than to be late for work.
“My boss is understanding, so if I am late she wants me to still come here. I know of other people who get warnings or lose their jobs for arriving late to work because the train or taxi was late.”
He explained that while a single train ride is R7.50, a taxi ride from Daveyton to the Benoni CBD is R17.
“The taxi is too expensive and my salary doesn’t allow for me to use it daily.
“It is only on a Saturday that I use the taxi.”
Maxwell’s reasoning for this is owed to only one train being available on a Saturday as opposed to three during the week, leading to a delay due to a different route to accommodate all passengers.
“I start work at 7am on a Saturday, for that I need to catch the earliest taxi.
“There are challenges with taking a taxi though.
“Besides the expensive fare, when there is a strike it can become violent and you won’t be able to go to the station.”
However, besides the train being a cheaper form of transportation, it too carries challenges passengers must contend with.
“There are no windows on the train because they have been stolen.
“It gets cold in there sometimes and when it rains you can’t sit down because the seats are wet, so you have to stand the entire trip.”
When asked about his options for getting to work should there be a public transport shutdown, Maxwell said he would have no way at all to get to work, but added a strike for both trains and taxis at the same time is very unlikely.
After working out the average cost of the train and taxi for just five days a week for a full year the following was established:
• Cost for the train for two trips annually: R3 600
• Cost for the taxi for two trips annually: R8 160
Maxwell said even with an increase in his salary he would battle to travel with a taxi daily and further stated the cost of a taxi varies from district to district.
“You can pay more or less, depending on where you live.
“The fuel increases also affect the fares, but the train is still cheaper as it increases by around 50 cents yearly, but the taxi increases by around R1.
Maxwell stated other living costs, such as rent, food and other necessities, coupled with his earnings results in him being unable to save.
“The costs are too high.
“You don’t have any money left to save, but there isn’t anything you can do because this is the way of life.”
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