Metrorail calls its ticket price hikes that come into effect on Saturday "pro-poor". But economists disagree.
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Cape Town - Metrorail calls its ticket price hikes that come into effect on Saturday “pro-poor”. But economists say they will add “choking pressure” to the average commuter.
Single third-class tickets increase by 50c, while first-class travellers will pay 70c more. For a weekly third-class ticket, they’ll pay R3 more, and for the first-class alternative, between R6 and R9 more.
For those who pay for their train transport monthly, third-class users will pay R19 to R23 more, and first-class users R35 to R57 more.
Most of the increases, according to Merina Willemse, Efficient Group economist, are higher than inflation – unlike the previous two rounds of price hikes.
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On closer inspection of these price changes (in comparison with the previous two), I noted that most of the price increases are in excess of inflation,” she said, pointing out that increases were, however, kept lower for third-class users.
Longer-distance tickets also saw lower price increases, but Willemse said the price increases, in general, would strain the budgets of commuters.
While most goods and services have annual increases, Willemse said these were expected to coincide with average inflation rates.
“Excessive increases, higher than inflation, can be very difficult for consumers to absorb, and therefore put extra strain on the consumer during this economically challenging time,” she said.
Weekend Argus investigated several routes in the city, and how much it cost commuters who chose different forms of transport.
* Wynberg to Cape Town: Train commuters will from on Saturday pay
R7 for third-class tickets and R9.70 for first-class. Weekly tickets cost R45 and R78 respectively, and monthly fares R133 and R237 respectively.
A minibus taxi from Wynberg to the city costs R8, while those who choose a Golden Arrow bus would pay, from Wynberg to the city, R356 for a monthly ticket, R81 for a weekly ticket, R12.50 for a single peak-time trip, and R7.40 if they’re travelling off-peak.
* Bellville to Cape Town: Train commuters will from on Saturday pay
R7 for third-class tickets and R9.70 for first-class. Weekly tickets cost R45 and R78 respectively, and monthly fares R133 and R237 respectively.
Bus commuters from Bellville to Cape Town pay R383 for monthly tickets, R87 for weekly tickets, R18.70 for a single peak ticket, and R11.10 for a daily off-peak trip. The taxi option from Bellville to Cape Town is R11 one way.
* Khayelitsha to Cape Town:
Bus commuters from Khayelitsha to town pay R99 (weekly) and R436 (monthly), as opposed to single train tickets for the same trip which now cost R9 (third class) and R15 (first class).
A monthly ticket costs R369 (first class) and R174 (third class), and a weekly one R121 (first class) or R58 (third class). A one-way taxi trip costs R14.
Metrorail’s regional manager, Mthuthuzeli Swartz, said the government’s subsidy to the parastatal barely covered its costs.
“The last financial year, it cost us R1.2 billion to operate trains just in the Western Cape,” he said.
While Metrorail was “very conscious of the soaring costs of living”, they believed their price hike had been a “modest” one.
Swartz also cited improvements such as 33 additional trips that had been added to the schedule for the city area, along with an increase of as many as 300 security personnel.
The Gautrain also increased its fares by 6 percent on Saturday.
soyiso.maliti@inl.co.za
Weekend Argus