Analysis of instruments governing the public transport subsidy regime in South Africa
Résumé
Introduction South Africa’s public transport system comprises rail, bus, and minibus taxi services operating within a fragmented subsidy regime. Despite significant public investment in transport infrastructure and operations, affordability and equity challenges persist. This study analyses the policy and legislative instruments governing public ground transport subsidies in South Africa and examines their implications for affordability, coordination, and equity. Methods The study employs qualitative document analysis of key policy and legislative frameworks, including the National Land Transport Act (2017) and the Draft Public Transport Subsidy Policy (2024), as well as secondary quantitative data from Statistics South Africa’s National Household Travel Survey (2020). Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA are used to assess transport cost burden across transport modes and geographic locations. Results The analysis reveals a highly uneven distribution of subsidies across transport modes. Rail and bus services receive substantial operational and capital support, while the minibus taxi sector remains largely outside formal operational subsidy frameworks. Descriptive results indicate higher transport cost burdens among taxi users and rural commuters; however, ANOVA results show no statistically significant differences across groups. Discussion The findings highlight persistent structural fragmentation in South Africa’s public transport subsidy regime and its implications for affordability and equity. The dominance of unsubsidised transport modes, and weak institutional coordination, continues to reinforce transport cost burdens among low-income and spatially disadvantaged households, limiting the effectiveness of current subsidy arrangements in achieving inclusive mobility outcomes.
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