Travel behaviour and attitudes of young people in the johannesburg metropolitan area, south africa

Abstract

The travel behaviour of millennials, young adults under the age 34, have received increased attention over recent years. As millennials represent approximately 40% of the South African population, the push factors that motivate their travel behaviour is important for transport service providers and planners. This article investigates the travel behaviour of millennials in the Johannesburg metropolitan area by identifying their preferred mode choice for different trip purposes, their service quality perceptions of different transport modes, their views on how to encourage the use of public transport and their private car ownership intentions. This research utilises a quantitative research design and empirical data were collected from a convenience sample of 630 millennials in the Johannesburg area. The research instrument was a self-administered online survey. The results indicate that young people tend to use public transport options for work and educational trips and are more inclined to make use of private car and ride-hailing services (Uber/Bolt)) for leisure and after-hours trips. Most millennials indicate that they intend to procure a private car as soon as they can afford it. These intentions are essentially determined by their opinion that the quality of public transport is inadequate and unsafe.