Examining the Effectiveness of City of Johannesburg’s Policy and Legislative Frameworks in Inform Development and Operation of Integrated Public Transport Systems

Since the emergence of a democratic South Africa in 1994, the national government has embarked on the notion of transforming the country’s public transport systems and operations through policies and legislative frameworks. It is evident that the South African government has prioritised in improving public transport systems through mega investments and strategic policy instruments, although these policies and effectiveness of such investment leave much to be desired in terms of spatial integration and efficiency of public transportation. The provision and management of well-integrated, affordable and reliable modern publictransportation systems in South African cities are critical in ensuring both smart cities and mobility within them. The Gauteng province and City of Johannesburg in particular formulated relevant polices, strategies and framework such as Gauteng 25-Year Integrated Transport Master Plan, City of Johannesburg StrategicIntegrated Transport Plan, and City Of Johannesburg Strategic Public Transport Network that seek to inform the development and operation of efficient and integrated urban public transport systems. As such, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of City of Johannesburg’s policy and legislative frameworks formulated to inform planning, development and operation of efficient and integrated public transport systems in the city. Key informant interviews were used to unpack the status quo in terms of the effectiveness of the policy and legislation frameworks governing public transportation in the City of Johannesburg. Secondary datacollected through desktop study also played a critical role in guiding the geography of the study and revealed the history of the Johannesburg in relation to the present, and displayed actual and potential relationship between operational public transport systems within the city. This paper presents novel data analysed into empirical results suggesting that there have been spirited efforts in Johannesburg to not only enact relevant transport policy and legislative frameworks but also facilitate the development and management of efficient and effective modern public transport systems