Gauteng commuters’ frequent travel times

Introduction

This Map of the Month is published during the transport month of October, using data from the GCRO’s Quality of Life (QoL) Survey 7 (2023/24) – newly released in October 2024 – to explore the travel times that Gauteng commuters take to make their most frequent trips. QoL 7 (2023/24) data on travel times is compared to results from earlier Quality of Life Surveys, notably QoL 6 (2020/21) undertaken when travel patterns were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commuters’ travel times are influenced by a host of different factors. These include personal circumstances such as the purpose of the most frequent trip – trips to local shops are likely to be much shorter than trips to faraway work locations – as well as external conditions such as the state of the roads (fewer access roads often mean traffic congestions at key junction points), the volume of traffic, access to public transport, and the need to take indirect routes and multiple modes to reach destinations. In turn, Gauteng travel times are also shaped by the continuing inequalities in the incomes of Gauteng residents and the stark home-work spatial mismatch left by apartheid settlement patterns. These structural conditions have implications for the modes of transport that travellers rely on, which in turn also affect travel times, with some modes such as trains being cheaper but on average much slower. Further, travel patterns and therefore trip times can be jolted by society-wide events such as COVID-19. On the one hand, COVID-19 dampened average commuting times, because lockdowns and a shift to remote work for many residents reduced congestion. On the other hand, the pandemic may have increased travel times for some by affecting incomes and limiting available public transport options.

Figure 1 shows how travel times have shifted over the last decade, as measured by successive Quality of Life Surveys. In QoL 7 (2023/24), 18% of Gauteng residents take more than 45 minutes to reach the destinations of their most frequent trip (Figure 1). Trips include going to work, looking for work, shopping, to get to a place of study or worship, and so on. Some 29% need under 15 minutes to reach their destination; 38% take between 16 and 30 minutes, and 15% take 31-45 minutes.

The proportion able to get to their destination within 15 minutes was reducing before COVID-19, and in turn the proportion needing more than 45 minutes for daily travel was increasing. COVID-19 dramatically shortened average travel times, with the proportion able to get to their destination within 15 minutes doubling from 20% in 2017/18 to 38% in 2020/21. The current data shows travel times reverting to pre-COVID patterns, although average travel times are not quite as long as they were in 2017/18 (also see Mkhize & Murahwa 2024). However, as discussed below, these changes in travel times have affected commuters differently in various parts of Gauteng.

Figure 1: Gauteng residents’ average travel times for their most frequent trip. Sources: QoL 7 (2023/24); QoL 6 (2020/21); QoL 5 (2017/18); QoL 4 (2015/16)

Spatial differentiation in travel times

Figure 2 provides a side-by-side comparison of the proportion of respondents per ward who were able to make their most frequent trip within 15 minutes, as recorded in QoL 6 (2020/21) and QoL 7 (2023/24).

As illustrated in the map on the right, wards where a relatively low proportion (less than 40%) of respondents are able to reach their destinations within 15 minutes dominate much of the province. Only a few wards in the wealthy areas around Centurion, in Midvaal (north of Vereeniging on the map), and some isolated patches on the far east and west Rand show up as green to indicate that they have a relatively high proportion (50% or more) of respondents able to make short daily trips.

The like-by-like comparison with the map on the left indicates both the overall decline in the proportion able to make short trips since the pandemic (38% down to 29%), and spatially the parts of the province that have been most impacted by increased travel times. As illustrated by the shift from red to green, the wards in the wealthy core of northern suburbs Johannesburg now have significantly lower proportions of respondents able to make short 15 minutes or less trips than they did under COVID-19. This is most likely attributable to the re-adjustment in work routines after the COVID-19 period, including a gradual shift away from remote work and staggered work schedules for many professionals. However, there is also a noticeable deterioration in the poorer wards around Soweto and west of Soweto, in the south of Johannesburg, and in the northern periphery of the region around Hammanskraal.

Figure 2: Percentage of respondents able to make their most frequent trip within 15 minutes. Sources: QoL 6 (2020/21); QoL 7 (2023/24)

Figure 3 maps the proportion of respondents per ward in both QoL 6 (2020/21) and QoL 7 (2023/24) who need more than 45 minutes to make their most frequent trip. Although it is in some ways a similar picture to Figure 2 there are some differences. On average, 18% of commuters take more than 45 minutes to reach their destinations during their most frequent trips (QoL 7 Survey (2023/24)). However, again there is not an even spread across the province. Wards with a high proportion of respondents with this high travel time are found in areas dominated by black African townships around Soweto; in the peripheral areas of northern, eastern and southeastern Tshwane, as well as in southwestern Johannesburg.

The pattern has shifted slightly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, under COVID there were some parts of the province – such as in the north western corner of Mogale City, in the southern parts of Gauteng around Midvaal, and in the north-western corner of Johannesburg – where the proportion of respondents with long trip times was relatively high, yet where there has now been an improvement. This is most likely due to the restoration of transport options that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, other parts of the province have seen a growth in proportions with very long trip times, notably the far northern periphery and the south of Johannesburg (Orange Farm).

Figure 3: Percentage of respondents taking more than 45 minutes for their most frequent trip within 15 minutes. Sources: QoL 6 (2020/21); QoL 7 (2023/24)

Figure 4 shows a different version of the picture using mean travel time per ward and comparing QoL 6 (2020/21) and QoL 7 (2023/24) data. In previous work, the GCRO demonstrated that residents living in central, erstwhile whites-only areas spent less time travelling than those in areas formerly designated for black Africans, in new housing developments, and in spatially peripheral parts of the province (Wray et al., 2014). Figure 4 shows clearly that this overall picture remains, with some areas seeing deterioration since COVID-19.

Wards in the province’s outskirts and the peripheries of the metropolitan areas are clearly defined by longer mean travel times. Those wards include areas around southern Johannesburg, Soweto, the northern and eastern peripheral areas of Tshwane, and peri-urban areas in the West Rand, through the mining belt to Springs. Figure 4 also shows a marked increase in travel times between 2020/21 and 2023/24 in the wards that cover Bronkhorstspruit, the township areas of Tshwane, such as Mabopane and Soshanguve, and the areas around Soweto, such as the West Rand Garden Estates, Lawley and Braamfischerville.

Figure 4: Mean travel times per ward for most frequent trips. Sources: QoL 6 (2020/21); QoL 7 (2023/24)

Travel times, modes of transport and commuters’ demographics

Breaking down the travel times by demographics and mode of transport reveals how different parts of the population are affected differently by long travel times.

Figure 5 below shows that almost half of white commuters (47%) spend up to 15 minutes on their most frequent trips (QoL 7 Survey [2023/24]). This is almost double the proportion of Black Africans (26%), where proportions increase dramatically in the 16-30 minutes travel time bracket. Dramatically lower proportions of whites and Indian/Asians fall within the travel time brackets above 45 minutes.

The effects of travel times are also differentiated by commuters’ income levels. Each of the three highest income groups (R12 801 – R25 600, R25 601 – R51 200, and R51 201 and more) have the largest share of the shortest travel time of 15 minutes or less. Conversely, the three lowest income groups have relatively larger proportions in the 16-30 minutes travel time bracket. This difference in the effects of travel on commuters of different income levels is complicated by the suburbanisation of townhouse developments and gated communities.

Although there are no notable gender differences in shorter travel times – 15 minutes and less – differences are noticeable in the higher travel time brackets with a greater proportion of men than women travelling more than 31 minutes. This is most likely due to gender dynamics in the workplace and home, with a greater proportion of men than women travelling most frequently for work. With regards to transport modes, there is considerable variation in long travel times (more than 31 minutes) between those using minibus taxis (42% of residents), private vehicles (32%), walking (22.5%) and so on. Notably, those using trains, minibus taxis or buses for their most frequent trip have much longer trips on average than those using private vehicles or walking.

Figure 5: Travel times, mode of transport and commuter demographics. Source: QoL 7 (2023/24)

References

GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory). (2015). Quality of Life Survey III (2013/14) [Dataset]. Version 1. Johannesburg and Cape Town: GCRO & DataFirst. https://doi.org/10.25828/gn3g-vc93

GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory). (2021). Quality of Life Survey 6 (2020/21) [Dataset]. Version 1. Johannesburg and Cape Town: GCRO & DataFirst. https://doi.org/10.25828/wemz-vf31

GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory). (2019). Quality of Life Survey V (2017/18) [Dataset]. Version 1.1. Johannesburg and Cape Town: GCRO & DataFirst. https://doi.org/10.25828/8yf7-9261

GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory). (2016). Quality of Life Survey IV (2015/16) [Dataset]. Version 1. Johannesburg and Cape Town: GCRO & DataFirst. https://doi.org/10.25828/w490-a496

GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory). (2024). Quality of Life Survey 7 (2023/24) [Dataset]. Version 3. Johannesburg and Cape Town: GCRO & DataFirst. https://doi.org/10.36634/JNDF6293

Mkhize, T. & Murahwa, B. (2024). Commuting and Transport. In P. Ndagurwa, C. Hamann, S. P. Mkhize & S. Miles-Timotheus (Eds.), Quality of Life Survey 7 (2023/24): Overview Report (Section 21). Johannesburg: Gauteng City-Region Observatory.

Wray, C., Everatt, D., Götz, G., Culwick Fatti, C. & Katumba, S. (2014). Getting to Work in the GCR. Map of the Month., Gauteng City-Region Observatory, October 2014. Available from: https://www.gcro.ac.za/data-gallery/interactive-data-visualisations/detail/getting-work-gcr/ [accessed 25/10/2024].

Methods

In writing this map of the month, we drew data from the GCRO Quality of Life Survey IV (2015/16), GCRO Quality of Life Survey V (2017/18), GCRO Quality of Life Survey 6 (2020/21), and GCRO Quality of Life Survey 7 (2023/24). We used SPSS to analyse the travel times in Gauteng in relation to Gauteng’s wards. Note that ward boundaries changed in 2021 for that year’s local elections, and so maps for QoL 6 (2020/21) data are drawn using 2016 ward boundaries and for QoL 7 (2023/24) data using 2021 ward boundaries. Slight differences in the geographies of wards are an unavoidable limitation on exactness in a like-for-like area-based comparison.

Edits and inputs: Graeme Götz, Richard Ballard, Laven Naidoo, Christian Hamann

Suggested citation

Mosiane, N., Tsoriyo, W., Khanyile, S. Murahwa, B., Bickford, G. and Mkhize, T. (2024). Gauteng Commuting Times: findings from the GCRO Quality of Life Survey 7 (2023/24), GCRO Map of the Month, Gauteng City-Region Observatory, October 2024.