Kasi to Kasi adventure opens up Joburg
23 October 2017
Scores of journalists, influencers and ordinary folk were unleashed on the concrete jungle that is the City of Joburg and told to find their way to a central rendezvous within a specific time.
This formed part of the Kasi to Kasi adventure, which allows the guinea pigs to test the efficiency and effectiveness of the Johannesburg public transport system.
Led by Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Cllr Nonhlanhla Makhuba, this annual event, aimed at encouraging Johannesburg residents to use public transport to help ease traffic congestion, took place on Friday, 20 October 2017. It formed part of the City’s Transport Month programme.
With eight groups of ten, I joined a group of young, vibrant, like-minded individuals who dubbed themselves The Jozi Trotters. The mission was to go to five different place around the City using different modes of transport. The starting point was the Museum Africa in Newtown before our group left for Hillbrow using local taxis at R9 per person.
Thereafter we proceeded to Alexandra, paying R9.50 per person. Our next stop was Sandton, with the fare being R9.50. We used the Gautrain and Gautrain bus to get to the Standard Bank Museum in the Inner City, at a cost of R30 and R15 was used on Rea Vaya in the Inner City.
To complete the journey we made use of non-motorised transport (walking).
Issues of safety always come to mind when one uses public transport. A female member of our group said she felt uncomfortable walking around the “infamous” Hillbrow and Alexandra streets. Others backed her, saying that was what discouraged many people from using public transport, particularly to hotspots around Johannesburg.
One group member pointed out the dirty streets of Hillbrow and Alexandra. “Personally I will not be using taxis unnecessarily because it is an inconvenience. One has to locate a taxi rank even though it is a walking distance from your point of departure, and that is time consuming.
“Most of the taxis are in very bad condition and the driving by some taxi drivers is terrible. As for the roads, there is too much construction and that is also time consuming. Hillbrow is an unpleasant place to be and it is very dirty. No person would want to walk those streets.”
A comparison was made between Hillbrow and Sandton, because the moment we reached Sandton, suddenly group members were more relaxed and were no longer in a hurry to complete the task. In total, as a group of ten, we spent R650 to go from Hillbrow, Alexandra, Sandton and back to inner city, with that journey taking 2 and a half hours.
So I would say the Joburg public transport system can cater for people on the move. Commuters just have to keep their eyes peeled and hold on tight during the ride as they hustle for opportunities in the city of gold.
MMC Makhuba said the ultimate goal was to have an integrated transport system in Johannesburg that would be easily accessible to everyone.