SA’s transport nightmare: Uber fails, Gautrain empties

Key topics:

• Uber is collapsing in SA due to safety issues and poor service quality.

• Gautrain weekend service has declined, hurting leisure and event travel.

• Public transport fears deter fans from attending events like Bulls games.

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By Jan Vermeulen

After years of intimidation by the minibus taxi and metered cab industry, combined with declining service levels, Uber is collapsing in South Africa.

For a brief moment, it seemed like Gauteng was starting to develop a world-class public transit system. However, that dream was short-lived.

Gautrain launched its Sandton to OR Tambo route in 2010, just in time for the FIFA World Cup, and added its route to Pretoria and Hatfield in 2011.

Many traded their morning car commute between Johannesburg and Pretoria for the train, with Gautrain buses ferrying passengers from the suburbs to stations.

Uber launched in Johannesburg in 2013. During the honeymoon years, cars were top-notch, drivers were professional and well-trained, and they offered extraordinary service levels.

However, after operating in South Africa for over eleven years, Uber is collapsing. Customers report problems with driver behaviour, poorly maintained cars, and apathetic customer support.

Gautrain carriages also run empty on weekends, where previously you would regularly see teenagers and university students travel from Pretoria to Rosebank and Sandton for an afternoon outing.

This included trips to malls like Montecasino, where Gautrain used to offer a dedicated midibus service on weekends. Now the Gautrain bus service to Montecasino only runs weekdays.

Gautrain still has a weekend midibus service from Midrand station to the Mall of Africa, but there is no weekend service to other major malls like Time Square or Menlyn Mall.

Complicating matters further is that minibus taxi and metered cab drivers have harassed and assaulted Uber drivers picking up people at Gautrain stations since 2017.

Uber and Gautrain responded to the incidents at the time by increasing security around stations and appealing to law enforcement to intervene.

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However, they seem to have long since given up on this fight, and the intimidation and violence no longer even make headlines.

Watching the Bulls at Loftus

We recently experienced these declines first-hand this past weekend while attending the Bulls vs. Edinburgh game at Loftus Versfeld.

Attending with me was someone who is slightly mobility impaired, so we couldn’t walk long distances from a parking space to the stadium.

We opted for the train, incorrectly assuming that there would be some kind of bus or shuttle service from the nearby Gautrain station to Loftus.

Wanatu was also a consideration, but it cost R250 one-way and waiting times were much longer than for Uber or Bolt.

The Gautrain for two people from Centurion station was just under R100 — about the same as we were quoted for a Bolt or Uber. We argued that the train would be less susceptible to traffic and its prices predictable.

It was almost disturbing how empty the train from Centurion to Hatfield was on a game day where the Bulls were playing at Loftus in the URC quarter final.

A security guard said this wasn’t unusual and that the Gautrain was only busy during the week.

Upon arriving at Hatfield station, another friendly security guard informed us that there were no weekend bus services.

He also warned me not to use my phone at the curb, as thieves were known to run by and snatch devices out of people’s hands.

Retreating into the station building, I hailed an Uber. The driver had just dropped off someone and arrived at the pickup point within seconds. However, he fled before we could even exit the building again.

“I don’t pick up from there,” he wrote in a message on the app. A follow-up message read, “Pick up your phone. ” I never heard my phone ring.

There was no warning in the Uber app that drivers would not pick up riders at the station, and the security guard was matter-of-fact when our driver turned and ran.

“They won’t pick up from here. They’re scared of being attacked,” he said. Ultimately, I paid Uber’s cancellation fee, and we took a metered cab from the Gautrain station to the stadium.

Luckily, a person travelling alone to watch the game was willing to split the price of the cab with us. The metered cab was R100 — double the price of an Uber. He also drove like a maniac.

Chatting to our fellow rugby fan, he said that he usually tries to fall in with a crowd of guys walking from the Gautrain station to Loftus.

He said it was dangerous to walk alone, but muggers think twice before trying their luck with a group of rugby supporters, who are typically large men.

Just before half-time, Loftus was maybe at 60% capacity. One can’t help but wonder if more people would come to games if there were better public transport options.

This article was first published by MyBroadband and is republished with permission