Transport has played a major role in shaping the spatial configuration of the city-region. Demands for reliable, efficient, and tourist-friendly public transport has resulted in the construction of large-scale public transport interventions such as the Gautrain, and Johannesburg and Tshwane’s respective Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks.
The GCR has witnessed a dramatic shift in travel modes over the past decades*. The 1975 Transvaal Provincial Administration Roads Department (PWV) transport study recorded a dominance of buses and trains as the primary form of transport amongst the black African population, with private cars as the main mode for the White population. In contrast, the latest 2011 transport modes for all races show that cars (33 % of trips) and taxis (50% of trips) are now the dominate mode of transport. Buses and trains account for less than 8% of all trips. However this sector should play a more significant role in the next few years with significant public investments in the overhaul of rail infrastructure and rolling stock and the introduction of BRT services in the Gauteng Metros.
