Efficient transport systems are vital for society to function. The African transport system is in dire need of reform for it to be responsive to public needs. Africa has underfunded and grossly neglected public transport systems; this presents unimaginable and ongoing travel difficulties for the public which is largely reliant on public transportation. Daily travel to work, for hospital appointments, to visit family and friends, to do household shopping, etc., is a task on its own.
The Cambridge Dictionary (online) defines public transport as a system of vehicles such as buses and trains that operate at regular times on fixed routes and are used by the public.
Poverty of transportation is the greatest problem in many African states; many public services – hospitals, schools, and shops – are impossible to reach without a car. Private car ownership is a privilege not accessible to many, yet public transportation remains poor.
Characterised by poor regulation, corruption, outdated infrastructure, limited routes, and inefficient services, the continent’s transportation system poses real and significant accessibility hurdles for millions of commuters.
In the absence of adequate public funding, private entrepreneurs have grabbed the opportunity and stepped in to provide the required public transportation service. But, as any private business, these businesses do it primarily for profit and quality is not always assured, especially in the absence of effective government oversight – frequency and types of vehicles are not suited for certain population groups, e.g., wheelchair users.
To give readers some insight into how testing (for the passenger) a private sector dominated public transport system can be: imagine being the first passenger during off peak hours and knowing you must patiently sit and wait in an 18-seater minibus until it is full! That process may take a couple of hours. The vehicle being filled up with passengers, and not just time, determines your departure time.
We must appreciate that public transportation is not just moving people from point A to B, but it projects the level of civilization in society. Transport poverty is an ignored reality of people’s daily lives. The public cries out for transportation as reliable as day and night so they can easily get on with life.
Governments need to review their priorities, that can only happen when leaders recognise that decisions about transportation do not only determine location of roads or bridges or rail lines, but they also determine the connections and barriers that citizens will encounter in their daily lives, hence how hard or easy it will be for people to get where they need and want to go.
We need reliable, well-funded public transport services that improve citizens’ access to opportunities and services thus, improve connectivity of regions. This is essential to the efficient socioeconomic functioning of our regions.
The intricate connections between public transportation and the rest of economic and social activities must not be lost to short-term political gains. Public transport’s value is evident, as alluded to in the paragraph above, public transport is vital for our economy, our communities, our health, and the environment.
However, we have tone deaf elitist governments who show little comprehension of the importance of public transportation. Even though buses are the backbone of the public transport system, they continue to face government neglect and underinvestment in the entire public transportation infrastructure.
Strategic planning towards improving public transportation provision must be prioritised as part of an extensive economic development. Africa needs a longer-term and enhanced capital and revenue funding for public transport so that it can modernise and build an effective transport network capable of supporting its economy and citizens.
Focus on efficiency
A focus on efficiency in maintaining sustainable budgets. This requires coordinated institutional management arrangements, a strong focus on competition, a well-functioning multimodal mobility system, public investment decisions determined with efficiency in mind, and efficient financing choices.
Funding sources
Sustainable public transport requires funding from three sources: 1. users through fares, 2. governments through general budgets earmarked taxes, and 3. taxes on indirect beneficiaries, including owners of land that increases in value when its accessibility improves.
There are many tried and tested means of funding options for public transport that African governments may want to study and adapt for their local needs. One such example is the UK’s Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), this is a grant paid to operators of eligible bus services and community transport organisations to help them recover some of their fuel costs.
The BSOG also aims to benefit passengers by:
- helping operators keep fares down
- enabling operators to run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation
Well-funded public transport is essential in connecting communities and improving economic performance. Relying on the private sector to provide public transport exposes poor communities to isolation from vital activities in society. We argue that efficient public transport services are essential and of greater public benefit and they need investment that recognises their true value to socioeconomic activities in the region.
MTHWAKAZI INDEPENDENT 