Every day workers and their families spend money and time using public transport. But their journeys are not without problems – unroadworthy vehicles, unsafe conditions on trains and erratic service are just some of them. Mlungisi Cele* takes a look at the causes of these problems.
In March this year, the Cosatu Western Cape region declared a dispute against Metro Rail, Provincial, National and Local Governments based on section 77 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995.
Cosatu Western Cape ‘s concern was around issues of passenger safety within trains and train stations, funding, management of Metro rail and its policy for the indigent (the poor).
Whilst the dispute was declared against Western Cape Metro rail only, these problems are also prevalent across South Africa and with other forms of public transport as well.
This was evident when train commuters last year burnt down Pretoria train station, citing their frustration over late trains.
Commission after commission has been set up by the government in a bid to understand the taxi wars that have plagued our country for a long time now.
And last year the Gauteng MEC for transport, discontinued a whole fleet of buses operated by Sowesto, for being unroadworthy.
Sources of urban public transport problems
According to Jane Barrett, policy co-ordinator in the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), there are many reasons for these problems.
One is an absence of proper planning at metro or city level.
Two is that the high cost in providing public transport has resulted in transport police being done away with and the outsourcing of security functions within metro rail. Both these have led to increasing lack of safety in urban transport.
The introduction of a competitive tendering system within the bus sector, has exacerbated transport problems.
This system only guarantees business to the operators for five years. This discourages operators from investing in their business, and forces them to implement cost cutting measures like cuts in wages and services, and bus maintenance.
On the taxi front, the taxi industry employs more than 100 000 workers as drivers, queue marshals, fare collectors and administrative workers. All these workers work under deplorable conditions. Competition is steep and profit margins small.
The result of all these problems are unroadworthy vehicles that are left in the care of demotivated workers on the road. Both these pose a threat to passengers and other road users. An underpaid and overworked driver of a bus, taxi or train is more likely to be impatient with the passengers and less safe on the road for other road users.
Few and slow positive changes
“There are positive changes, though they are few and slow,” continues Jane Barrett.
There are agreements in place between the government and other actors within the industry to set up transport planning authorities.
A merger of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation – a company which owns the rail infrastructure and Metro rail – is also in the pipeline.
The transport minister has decided to introduce the transport police.
But more can still be done to improve the urban public transport system.
However, the GEAR-driven continued cuts in the funding of the public transport system put a damper on the little developments that are introduced by the government.
Currently there are very few cities like Johannesburg , Durban and Tshwane that provide public transport. Cape Town has just introduced a bus service that is targeted at disabled people.
Linking workplace and passenger safety
Satawu and Cosatu must sustain and strengthen the policy interactions that are already there between labour and the government.
Cosatu must also build a commuter voice through its locals with other civics organisations.
At work Cosatu unions, including Satawu, must emphasise and demand the link between organisational demands like better wages, working conditions and workplace safety, and passenger safety and better public transport service for all.
Such initiatives by labour and other civics organisation can help to prevent problems like the Johannesburg Metro that recently bought Brazilian-made buses, which are not accessible by wheelchair. They can lead to a speedy realisation of the noble commitments of meeting the needs of the disabled and the aged through the provision of suitable public transport as contained in the transport White Paper.
But, Barrett believes, there is also place to improve the working conditions and benefits of public transport workers, particularly taxi workers. That is why Satawu is demanding minimum working conditions, and accident, death and retirement benefits for taxi workers.
Well paid taxi workers with better conditions can contribute to the reduction of the high accident rate that mostly affects the working class.
* Mlungisi Cele is Numsa’s Northern Transvaal regional education officer