1. WHY SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES ARE DIFFERENT
WHY SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES ARE DIFFERENT? Comparing rea vaya with its latin American siblings
Thank NT, SECO and CoJ
Pleasure to be here presenting some of our knowledge work
Work to better understand how does BRT work in the SA context
We will provide unequivocal evidence of how BRT, as implemented, will not cover its operational costs and some recommendations for SA cities
This experience is of critical importance since Joburg and other cities are rolling out BRT systems
Ramon Munoz-Raskin
Senior Urban Transport Specialist
Southern African Transport Conference
12 July 2017

2. INTEGRATED RAPID PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK PROGRAMS
BRT inspired by Latin American Cities’ BRT model for dense cities
Most CAPEX with National Funds.
Expectations of no/reduced OPEX subsides
Joburg, Cape Town, NMB and Tshwane launched IRPTN service. Other to follow.
Source:
Source: MyCiti

3. REA VAYA
Pioneer in SA, along with CPT

4. Rea vaya REA VAYA LOWER THAN ESTIMATED REPORTED JOURNEYS
Average weekday: 60K (vs. 130K) (AS OF 2016)
TYPICAL REASONS (found elsewhere)
STRUCTURAL REASONS
Presence of parallel informal/taxi services
Urban form
Difficulties in user understanding
Travel patterns
Fare media challenges
Fare evasion
Other… (convenience, etc)
Reported journeys and operating cost recovery at 1/3 of original estimates
Structural reasons prescribe BRT potential
Source: Rea Vaya

5. South Africa’s unique urban form
Apartheid-legacy urban form. Post-1994: spatial segregation has remained stark.
City core with employment and opportunities
High-density low-income “townships”
Low density suburbs with single family detached housing

6. Gauteng’s DENSITY MAP
Source: Compiled from difference sources

7. SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES, INCLUDING JOBURG, ARE NOT LIKE LATIN AMERICAN CITIES
Compare densities of cities of similar population
Latin American Cities are typically dense, South African cities are not.

8. LATIN AMERICAN CITIES DENSItY MAPS
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Mexico City (Peak residential density: 48,300 people/km2, 2009)
São Paulo (Peak residential density: 29,380 people/km2, 2009)
MEXICO CITY
Source: LSE Cities.
Source:

9. JOBURG TRIPS ARE NOT LIKE THOSE FOR LATIN AMERICAN CITIES
South Africa metros: long, unidirectional, highly concentrated peak travel.
South Africa paratransit: Mature vs. LAC. And very capable of providing long distance, one-seat rides quickly adapting to market and urban form.

10. AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (I)
While some indicators may not be comparative outliers…

11. AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (Ii)
Other indicators definitely are comparative outliers (ii)

12. AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (III)
Other indicators definitely are comparative outliers (iii)
* Using bus operating cost as defined in South Africa: Payment to operators for all costs of contract, including overheads, labor, fuel, tires, and vehicle maintenance.

13. AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (Iv)
1.7
2.8
8.9
Other indicators definitely are comparative outliers (iv)

14. Vs. < 3 times (LAC Siblings)
AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (v)
Vs. < 3 times (LAC Siblings)

15. AND… REA VAYA is not like her lac siblings (vI)
TRANSMILENIO (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA)
REA VAYA (JOHANNESBURG, SA)- Data 2014
METROLINEA (BUCARAMANGA, COLOMBIA)
Fleet, labor, fuel productivity
Oversupply at off-peak
Other indicators definitely are comparative outliers (iv)

16. SO could we characterize rea vaya as a commuter bus service?
FAIRFAX COMMUTER BUSES (VA. USA)
REA VAYA (JOHANNESBURG, SA)- Data 2015
LONDOUN COMMUTER BUS (VA. USA)
Fairfax: Similar ridership. Much closer demand vs. supply
Londoun: System shut down during midday. Special arrangements for part-time labor.
And if so, which BRT features are the most valuable?

17. KEY takeaways
Joburg (and South Africa’s) travel demand patters and urban form are structurally different to LAC cities- and so should their BRTs
Structural differences are unequivocally reflected in operational and performance indicators
Some similar indicators, but not for travel demand and for urban form.
More closely resemble traditional commuter services. Greater resources needed (labor, equipment, fuel, etc) and low productivity.
Source: LSE Cities.

18. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA (i)
Any PT solution introduced in SA must be context sensitive
For Joburg, structural attributes of travel demand and urban form dictate that there need to be some degree of OPEX subsidies to run it (as designed)
Lessons apply to ANY MODE (rail, trams, BRT, etc.):
Context-sensitive service plan
Axiomatic assumptions (e.g. BRT = Fare recovery) have serious policy implications

19. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA (iI)
BRT “flexibility of bus service” features would be more critical than BRT “Mas-level transit capacity” attributes.
Multi-modalism AND integration as a response to demand patterns. Demand-responsive services (e.g. minibus taxis/e- hauling) for low density environment
BRT does, and should continue to have a role in SA mobility

20. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE information…

21. WHY SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES ARE DIFFERENT
WHY SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES ARE DIFFERENT? Comparing rea vaya with its latin American siblings
THANK YOU
Ramon Munoz-Raskin
Senior Urban Transport Specialist
Southern African Transport Conference
12 July 2017