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TRANSPORT
Transport in Johannesburg
Visitors are warned that Johannesburg, much like Los Angeles, is a young and
sprawling city geared to the freeway-borne private motorist, and lack of convenient
public transport is a serious obstacle for tourists to the city. So if you have friends
or business contacts at hand to help with transport, don't feel shy about imposing
yourself – Johannesburgers expect to be asked to give travellers lifts.
Minibus taxis
Like many African cities, Johannesburg has a chaotic informal public transport
system in the form of minibus "taxis". These are not taxis in the typical Western
sense of the term – they won't give you a lift to your doorstep. Rather, they are
small-scale bus services, often unmarked, operating with neither timetables nor
formal stops. Taxis are the cheapest form of transport in Johannesburg, and are the
daily transport lifeline of the bulk of the working population.
More adventurous travellers will find them an interesting African
experience – the
closest you may get to mixing with ordinary people. They are also the only form of
public transport that penetrates every last sector of the city, including the poorest
shack settlements.
But there are three reasons why a tourist should exercise caution. Firstly, use of
the taxi system for anything other than a short drive requires an expert knowledge
of the unwritten lore of hand signs indicating which taxi is travelling where, and an
understanding of the various routes and how they intersect. Second, despite
frequent clampdowns by the traffic authorities, minibus taxis tend to be old and in
poor condition. Third, minibus taxi drivers, rushing their fares to their destinations as
quickly as possible in order to maximise returns, are the city's most notorious
drivers, ducking wildly from lane to lane and stopping without warning whenever a
passenger wishes to climb on or off.
Metered taxis
There are conventional metered
taxis, but unlike in many other countries these do
not cruise the streets in search of passengers, and must generally be summonsed
by telephone. Major hotels do often reserve bays for taxi companies, however, and
in those that don't, reception staff can quickly make arrangements for visitors.
Railway system
The metro railway system is the cheapest form of transport, connecting central
Johannesburg to Soweto, Pretoria and most of the satellite towns along the
Witwatersrand. The railways transport huge numbers of workers every day. But
once again there is a problem, at least for the typical tourist. The railway
infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's infancy and covers only the older areas in
the city's south. In the past half century Johannesburg has grown largely
northwards, and none of the northern areas, including the key business districts of
Sandton, Midrand, Randburg and Rosebank, have any rail infrastructure.
Bus
services
The city's bus service was once the centre of the local public transport system, but
competition from the private car and minibus taxis drove it into decline, and it was
close to collapse two years ago. The new city council has made it a priority to
regenerate the bus service. There are now over 550 buses plying 80 routes in six
sectors of the city, with the main emphasis on providing affordable transport in
lower-income areas.
A "City Slicker" programme, which is being expanded, provides tours of the city in
open-topped buses. But for the average tourist planning simply to get from A to B,
it may be a little while yet before the bus service provides a solution.
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