While the transport sector continues to play a critical role in South Africa’s economy and society, fragmentation remains one of the biggest challenges confronting the local sector, Gautrain Management Agency chairperson Professor Mfanelo Ntsobi has said.

“We have different spheres of government, different transport authorities, different operators and different modes. Yet, the passenger experiences one journey.

“A commuter does not experience government in departments and institutional mandates. The commuter simply wants to leave home in the morning and arrive at work safely, affordably and on time. That requires us to rethink how we plan transport,” he said during a Frank Dialogue on August 28.

Ntsobi argued, therefore, for a shift away from siloed and fragmented modal systems towards an integrated transport system where the different modes of transport, such as rail, buses, minibus taxes, e-hailing systems, roads and non-motorised transport, should increasingly function as parts of one interconnected mobility ecosystem.

“The principle is simple: one commuter, one journey, multiple modes, one integrated network,” he said.

Ntsobi said rail should play an increasingly important role as a high-capacity backbone of the public transport system, particularly in major metropolitan regions. He noted that rail should connect effectively with buses, bus-rapid transit systems, minibus taxis, walking and other modes of transport.

Additionally, he argued that the mini bus taxi industry, in particular, must also be recognised as an indispensable part of the South African transport system.

“Millions of South Africans rely on taxis every day. The future, therefore, cannot be about designing public transport around the taxi industry, it must increasingly be about designing our future transport system with the taxi industry. That is genuine co-creation.”

Ntsobi added that roads and infrastructure also remained fundamental to South Africa’s economic competitiveness, noting the importance of maintaining them.

He argued that technology played an important role in this regard, noting that systems, such as AI and satellite monitoring, increasingly allow infrastructure authorities to identify risks before failure occurs.

“South Africa must progressively move from reactive infrastructure repair to predictive asset management. We must preserve what we build.”

Moreover, Ntsobi argued that digital transformation should also change how commuters experience transport, with smart licensing centres, biometric systems and automated services, for example, reducing waiting times.

Further, Ntsobi reiterated the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges facing South Africa’s transport sector.

“The transport challenges facing South Africa are simply too large and too interconnected for any institution to solve alone. We need partnerships, we need innovation, we need investment and, importantly, we need execution. We must increasingly move from asking ‘whose responsibility is this’ to asking ‘how do we solve this together’”.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT

Also speaking at the event, Transport Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa acknowledged the importance of transport in moving goods, people and logistics throughout the country.

He argued that integration should allow people to access any mode of transportation at ease.

The Deputy Minister highlighted various initiatives that the department was embarking on, such as introducing a one-ticketing system across the various modes of transport, as well as consolidating grants into a broader public transport grant system.

“When we look at the integration of government, [this] is to ensure that there is a seamless ecosystem of cooperation, planning and budgeting at national, provincial and municipal level of government,” he said, noting that this included streamlining grants.

Looking at road safety and addressing road-related fatalities, Hlengwa noted that the department was introducing various measures, such as a zero tolerance on drinking and driving by introducing a 0% limit on alcohol when driving, as well as enhanced driver training in the taxi and bus industry.

Additionally, during a question-and-answer question, Hlengwa highlighted the progress made in stabilising the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and outlined the government’s efforts to clear RAF backlogs.

He noted that the department aimed to introduce a new road accident benefit scheme that aimed to revamp the fund.