Is the Gautrain oversubscribed or not: iLIVE

Debate around the usefulness and efficiency about the Gautrain rages on. Below are two contrasting views on the usefulness of the Gautrain in the province.

Rob Handfield says: Bombela predicted the Gautrain's daily ridership at launch to be 100 000, growing to 150 000 by the end of 2010 and thereafter at about 5% - 10% per annum. (Don't take my word for it, ask them for the original scoping report which used to be on the Gautrain website). They were warned they were blue-skying, just like SANRAL was warned about trying to implement e-tolls. Reality bites: current ridership numbers are barely half of the projections for five years ago.

Now Gauteng's taxpayers have to subsidise this white elephant to the tune of R800m per annum. (What happened to user pay???)

The reality is, if Gautrain charged the fares it needed to to be solvent, NOBODY would use it. So yet again, as with SANRAL / Kapsch, the taxpayer is funding private enterprise. If the money had been put into a proper intercity bus system (as I suggested in 2005) or into light rail, we could have had the entire province covered with public transport by now for half the price.
 

Lizette Vosloo says: I have a friend who travels to Midrand everyday using the Gautrain. He says that the Gautrain has reached its capacity. Cars are packed to full capacity between 6 and 8 every morning and between 4 and 7 in the evenings. Manage peak hour passenger transport better. The Gautrain busses are also not working. So, the train is good but when you get off, you’re pretty much stranded again because the entire public transport system is not managed in a holistic manner. Their all just on their own little planet. Bad management and planning it seems is the real issue here.