South Africa’s transport challenges demand a holistic, long-term approach that integrates planning, technical expertise and governance across all levels of government.

Public transport systems like Rea Vaya and MyCiTi, inspired by successful international models such as Brazil’s Curitiba and Peru’s Lima Metro Line 2, have made progress but still face significant hurdles. High operating costs, heavy government subsidies, and limited integration with informal modes like minibus taxis and ride-sharing services reduce their overall impact. These global examples demonstrate the value of integrated route planning, unified fare systems and transit-oriented development – lessons South Africa can adopt to enhance local systems.

Building a truly integrated transport system requires seamless coordination between national, provincial and local governments. This, unfortunately, continues to remain lacking in our country and we believe that policymakers must promote compliance of road rules and enforcement of informal transport to realise a truly integrated system.

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