The state of transport opinion poll South Africa : a four-year review (2012-2015)

Abstract

South Africans are very concerned about the state of transport in the country, ranking it as their 3rd highest priority after education and health. This paper reports the results from four years of the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies’ (Africa) State of Transport Opinion Poll, an annual survey of 1,000 adults across South Africa, which investigates the public’s opinions on transport matters and determines whether confidence in public transport is changing. Important indicators in the survey include transport as a national priority, the perceived highest priorities in transport, conditions of transport facilities and services, perceptions on the current and future state of transport and the state of law enforcement. The top transport issues identified by respondents were the quality, accessibility and frequencies of public transport; safety; taxi related concerns; the condition of road infrastructure and the affordability of transport. The results seem to indicate that public transport needs of South Africans concerning mobility, accessibility, affordability and safety are not adequately dealt with by government. This research could be of interest to policy makers, establishing a database on public opinion. It also provides an original contribution in that it represents the only annual public opinion survey on transport matters in South Africa.