Low-paid Joburg workers face ‘transport poverty’ crisis

The Gauteng Department of Transport released a report last month that showed the transport costs of residents in low-income homes have reached a critical point. City-Region Observatory highlights sharp spatial and income inequalities, particularly in Johannesburg, where residents living on the city’s outskirts face the heaviest burden. The more people commute, the less they earn. “Suffocating Cost of Transport in the Gauteng City-Region” report has revealed that residents in some parts of the city and province are spending as much as 40% to 50% of their income on transport, far above the government’s policy benchmark of 10%.Government and legislative bodies can increase public transport subsidies, especially for the taxi industry; and improve the integration of different modes of transport to lower operational costs (single ticket but multi-modal transport options)—  Dr Lavel Naidoo, Our City According to the report, residents spend an average of 29% of their income for transport. People spend between 10 and 20 percent of their income in central Johannesburg, where services and jobs are concentrated. This figure is much higher in the peripheral areas of Orange Farm, Diepsloot and Ivory Park as well as parts of Soweto. It can even exceed 40%. Hope Chila of Dlamini Soweto spends R650 on bus coupons each month to commute to Sandton. Since he started work in 2022, the cost has risen by R200. If he takes a minibus-taxi, the cost increases to R1,500 per month. Joy Sebanda from Boksburg said that it costs her around R2,750 per month to commute to Rosebank. Lindiwe nkosi commutes from Alexandra, Pretoria CBD to work in retail. “I spend R90 a day just on taxis to get to work and back, that is almost R2,000 a month before food, before rent. Sometimes I think about quitting because it does not make sense anymore. On top of that, I leave home at 5am and return after 8pm, spending nearly three hours in traffic each day. We work just to travel.” Nkosi’s experience is typical of how Johannesburg’s spatial and economic divides translate into “transport poverty”The report makes a note of this. The city’s layout reflects apartheid-era planning, which placed low-cost housing on cheap land far from jobs and services. This legacy, according to the report, has led working-class homes to incur long and expensive commutes. “The further one lives from economic opportunity, the higher the cost of mobility,” The report says. Naidoo said that a dual strategy is needed to solve transport poverty.“Cheaper transport is paramount for the poor, but if people are still travelling long distances to work and back, costs will ramp up. Better land-use planning is key to bringing jobs closer to the people. Proper social mobility needs to happen to integrate different income classes in job-rich areas,” The report also highlights a disparity between modes of transport. Minibus taxi commuters, who make up the majority of those using public transport spend on average 33% of their earnings. Car users also spend 32% of their income on transportation, but the impact differs greatly. The poorer residents have to pay proportionally more for work and services. — Additional reporting Koena MashaleThis story was produced by Our City News is a non profit newsroom serving the people of Johannesburg.
2025-11-17 05:19:52