By Mvangeli Nzuza
Today marks Day 9 of the Gautrain Strike. This has made Afropolitans living in Gauteng appreciate the Gautrain service (both trains and buses), but there’s also an increased awareness that there aren’t many public transport alternatives. Workers are demanding 10% wage increases amongst other benefits while Bombela Concession Company stood firm at 8.6%.
Some of FIFA 2010 World Cup Stadia immediately became “white-elephants” after the World Cup ended. It was feared that the Gautrain would fall into the same trap because of its pricing, but many commuters appear to have adjusted.
Since we’re speaking trains, Metrorail charges R22.50 on a return trip between Pretoria and Johannesburg Park Station, while the Gautrain is R144 per return trip during peak and R28 less off-peak for the same distance. Metrorail covers this journey in 1 hour 15 minutes without incident, and best believe that there’s always one. The Gautrain completes this trip in 35 minutes and it hardly has incidents that cause delays.

Taxis seem to not be an option for most Afropolitans. They’re unsafe, unreliable and uncomfortable. So when Gautrain employees went on strike, car-pooling, lift-clubs and Uber which costs upwards of R400 a single trip became options. But the commuter’s hand was forced really. The fact of the matter is that there’s no alternative for those who travel longer distances between work and home.
The Gautrain has helped ease congestion on the N1 Freeway for the past 8 years. This strike meant people preferred to drive themselves, but in turn, spend more time getting to work and school. Tswane and Joburg have Bus-rapid transit systems which have dedicated lanes so the commuter isn’t stuck in traffic like a private motorist.
Steve Harris from the United National Transport Union (Untu) representing striking workers says Gautrain workers often have to get to work at 4am and knock off at 11pm and they rely on public transport.
Reliable, safe and predictable as the Gautrain is, the people who make sure you and I get to our destination have to spend a fraction of their salary on transport. Their alternatives are costly in time, money or both. And if they’re not, then the cost is a loss of life. ‘Freedom of Choice’ surely must mean having healthy choices to choose from. Well, not when it comes to Public transport.
Listen to the full report here:
https://soundcloud.com/kayafm959/mvangeli-nzuza-on-transport-problems-in-gauteng-gautrain-01-august-2018



