Hitting the road: what students at UWC say about their public transport

Abstract

Discussions with full-time and part-time students revealed that there is a serious need for safe and reliable public transport. Especially women from the townships frequently raised issues of public transport not being safe and available during after-hours. The Student Representative Council (SRC) of the University of the Western Cape initiated a transport survey among all students to address this issue. Safe and reliable public transport is not only an important asset for student but for all citizens of South Africa country. Public transport greatly contributes to the social and economic upliftment of the metropolis and the province. The SRC supported by the Division for Lifelong and the office of the Vice-rector Students Development and Support conducted this survey to get a picture of the transport needs of full-time and part-time students. A total of 488 students respondent to the survey, which was twice as high as any other on-line survey conducted at the University. The outcomes were shared with the wider campus community and stakeholders in the transport industry in the Cape Town Metropolis. A public presentation took place on 19 August 2004 during the Learning Cape Indaba.