How I would create a public transport system from scratch.

Public transport in South Africa is a warzone & if my plans here were to be implemented, we'd have to quell the violence & offer exclusive deals with certain drivers & transport organisations. 

But if there was nothing in place & I would have to start from scratch, this is how I would do it. 

• Bring back rail: Rail is the cheapest form of transport worldwide & reduces road traffic allowing road infrastructure to need less maintenance. It is also often the faster option. We wouldn't need high-speed trains, just typical 150 km/h modern trains for the people. 

A simple rail service like all sensible countries.

• The future is electric: We have to start with electric vehicles today & for a bonus, they could be locally-made. 

• Big buses are destroying the land: We never noticed this but big buses weigh heavily on road infrastructure & are devastating when they are involved in road accidents. So both big buses & minibuses would be replaced with midi-buses. 

A midibus would be the symbol of my national transport service after minibuses & buses are phased out.

• Sheltered bus stops: It rains, gets windy & unbearablely hot/sunny & sometimes even snows. So we need to make concrete bus stops with benches & are sheltered from the elements. This would help in; a) elders have a place to sit while waiting for transport, b) people sheltered from the elements, c) known & identifiable marked places to wait for transport. These are the only places that the national midi-bus transport service would be allowed to load & offload passengers. 

A simple sheltered, concrete bus stop like all sensible countries. 

• Low-cost meter taxis/rickshaws: Transport apps have gained popularity in recent times, there could be a national transport app where you could hail a car (affordable EV) or an electric rickshaw (the cheaper alternative). The passenger/user could chose which they want to ride in & where they want to be dropped off. 

The BYD Seagull: One of the most affordable electric vehicles in the world. A fleet of marked affordable electric vehicles would be one of the symbols of the national transport service. 

Electric rickshaws could be used for short distance travel. 

• All modes of national transport would have a card-system integrated into every vehicle where people could pay with the national transport card (for discounts), debit card or simple physical cash. Bus & train users would get a ticket as proof of payment to avoid boarding confusion. 

• The hailing transport service could run 7 days a week from 3 AM to 10 PM. The midibus & rail service could be 4 AM to 8 PM daily. 

• The state regulates the fares of transport across the land & gains revenue from it. 

• All transport vehicles would be state property.