Browsing by Author "Radebe, Valela Napthtal"

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    Shared Mobility and Private Vehicle Ownership: A South African Perspective
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2019) Radebe, Valela Napthtal; Ndaba, Zanele
    When former and late President Nelson Mandela arrived in Soweto after his release from prison in 1990, he was surprised to see the high number of private vehicles that were there since his imprisonment in the early 1960’s. The improved living standards (in spite of Apartheid) and poor public transport services had led to an increase in private vehicle ownership by Sowetans. Unlike in other more affluent areas, the majority of vehicles leaving Soweto on any given weekday have at least three occupants and some may even be overloaded. Owing to the high cost of owning and maintaining private vehicles, owners thereof have had to organise lift clubs to share costs with commuters for trips of similar origins and destinations. This form of shared mobility has also been very popular in other parts of South Africa. The lack of viable mass-transit public transport services in both poor and affluent areas has placed more reliance on private vehicles. Outdated public transport services in cities like Johannesburg are still clustered around old economic nodes like the Johannesburg Central. Rail lines built in the 1960’s and 1970’s are still based on transporting daily commuters to these central business districts. However, new economic hubs have since mushroomed in commercial districts in the north of Johannesburg in areas like Sandton, Fourways and Rosebank. The relocation in the late 1990’s of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange from Johannesburg Central to Sandton proved to be a catalyst to this business migration. Owing to the inflexibility of traditional public transport, mini-bus taxis have had to fill this void for poorer communities