Transport report 12 June to 3 July 2021
South Africa
Total cases (3.7.2021): 2046311
Total deaths (3.7.2021): 61507
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-africa/
Cape Town
Government regulations
30 June 2021. All schools will close on the 30th July according to lockdown level 4 regulations (grade R to 12) and will reopen on the 19th July. There is a curfew from 9 pm-4 am except for essential workers or emergencies. Public transport is not permitted during the curfew period. Interprovincial travel to and from Gauteng is prohibited. There is a 70% load capacity on public transport travelling 200 km. Restrictions on international air travel remain the same but there is an exception on the curfew for long distance flights. International air travel is restricted to OR Tambo, King Shaka, Cape Town, Lanseria, Kruger Mpumalanga international airports.
15.6.2021. The South African president announces South Africa’s move to Level 3. He warns the population that they could get infected by an asymptomatic person in a taxi for instance, or those who do not wear masks that cover their faces. New measures are put in place. A curfew will start at 10 am and end at 4 am. Restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 9 pm. All gatherings will be limited to 50 indoors, and 100 outdoors. When a venue is too small to accommodate social distancing, no more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used. The attendance of funerals may not exceed 50 people. The sale of alcohol will only be allowed from 10 am and 6 pm from Monday to Thursday. It is a criminal offence not to wear a face mask that always covers their mouth and nose in public spaces.
Other
25.6.2021. PRASA (The passenger rail agency in South Africa) says that there has been a 66% decrease in weekday train services in the province of Western Cape (equivalent of 293 fewer trains every day). Metrorail has lost 2/3rds of its passengers due to arson attacks. PRASA has been in conversation with the mayor and city officials regarding land occupation and illegal occupiers in Langa living on or near the railway line. The City said that they had urged PRASA to take action early.
23.6.2021. Compared to 2019 Cape Town commuter trains are running at 34 % capacity. Moreover five out of 12 trains that were operated by Metrorail in 2019 are no longer running according to PRASA. The central line that has offered cheap transport to the city’s poorest population is inoperable. 56 ha of railway line is covered by 7844 illegal dwellings and 1350 informal dwellings will have to be removed to make repairs for the central line. After four years of arson attacks PRASA had 44 trains left in Cape Town in 2019, but there were only 28 trains left in 2020. The plan is to double them by next year. R790 million has been allocated for station repairs over the next three year, and it is planned that a four-meter wall will be built along the central line to prevent vandalism and theft.
23.6.2021. PRASA has been criticised for having the same recovery plan than the previous year.
21.6.2021. Metrorail has stopped doing monthly tickets and many passengers find the train very expensive and will many delays.
19.6.2021. Teachers, cleaners, food handlers and other staff in school institutions will be vaccinated by the 8th July. Uber has offered 100.000 rides for free to get school staff vaccinated.
15.6.2021. Seventeen school children were in a vehicle in Cape Town that was hijacked but were left unharmed. The hijackers ran away when the police arrived.
14.6.2021 There have been 7 taxi related killings in the last week. 3 taxi operators were killed in Khayelitsha, and four people in taxis were killed in Manenburg and Duinefontein.
13.6. 2021. Bolt food is partnering with Pathway Cycles in Cape Town to encourage the use of electric bikes for food deliveries. Couriers earn the same fees as they would otherwise.
Links
https://ewn.co.za/2021/06/15/full-speech-ramaphosa-announces-sa-move-to-level-3-lockdown
https://ewn.co.za/2021/06/15/ct-pupils-unharmed-after-transport-vehicle-hijacked
Nigeria
Abuja
Total cases: 167 803
Total deaths: 2121
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/nigeria
Government initiatives
3.7.2021. In 6 years, 15000 clips have been stolen from Kaduna-Abuja railway. The federal government will install anti-theft clips.
28.6.2021. Nigeria adds South Africa to their red list for travellers arriving in Nigeria.
24.6.2021. 2,099,568 people have been vaccinated with their first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in Nigeria and 1,005,234 have received their second dose.
15.6.2021. The federal government has begun negotiating Chinese loans to expand the railway service. The minister of finance, budget and national planning has admitted that the government exceeded its borrowing plans for 2021. He has blamed this on the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall in oil prices. The minister also said that the monthly revenue for the Abuja-Kaduna railway operation has increased from N70 to N350 million in May 2021.
Other
2.7.2021. In an article in the Premium Times, Joshua Olufemi, Aderemi Ojekunle,
Ode Uduu, Charles Mba reflect on the surging food and electricity prices since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Farmers were having difficulty transporting and accessing farm inputs. The gap between food and non-food inflation has widened from 5.47% in Feb 2020 to 10.28% in March 2021. The covid-19 lockdown restricted the movement of goods and food across the country. Nigerians also witnessed an average of 66.8% food price increase from February 2020 until March 2021 when a survey was conducted. Respondents in a survey conducted over 13 states attributed 69% of reasons for food price increases to covid-19 causes, including e.g., lockdown and border closure
2.7.2021. The Managing Director of Finchglow Travels and former President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bankole Bernard wants to reduce the price of Covid-19 testing in Nigeria. He does not agree with the ban on travellers from South Africa, and suggests that protective measures should be put in place instead
30.6.2021. Plentywaka, a transportation technology company has partnered with GUO transport services limited. They will bring technology and marketing together and have the app Plentywaka. Guo transport services was founded in 1980, and is one of the largest providers of intercity and interstate transportation with more than 200 destinations across Nigeria.
20.6.2021. Fares in Nigeria have gone up on average since May 2020. A bus journey has increased by 79.39% and the ticket price is now N399.06. It was N222.46 in May 2020. Abuja is among the states with the highest bus fares N4, 600.47, which are similarly high in Lagos (N 3570.64) and Sokoto state (N 3.370.24). Air travel has also increased. On specified routes it the ticket price has increased by 0.39% month-on month and by 18.90% year-on-year. Motorbike fares have also increased – 2.3% month-on-month, and 85.83% year-on-year in May 2021. In a year the prices have gone up from N152.11 in May 2020 to N282.67 N152.11 in May 2021. Abuja, however, does not figure as one of the states with the highest cost of motorbike fares. In Abuja FCT the price is N169.17 and Adamawa (N100.08) and Katsina (N165.40)
Links
https://guardian.ng/news/2-million-nigerians-receive-covid-19-jabs/
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/471100-covid-19-nigerians-suffer-food-price-surges-amidst-dwindling-income.html
Tunisia
Current cases: 438945
Current deaths: 15261
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/tunisia
Tunis
Government initiatives:
1.7.2021. New health measures are introduced in Tunisia. There is a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am throughout Tunisia. All public events such as parties, cultural events, conferences and weddings are banned. It is also prohibited to use the inside areas of restaurants and cafés. Prayers are suspended. Shopping centres are limited to 30% capacity. In the governates of Tunis, the governor can decide to make targeted containment measures at the delegation level to isolate clusters, but also certain neighbourhoods. This can include a ban on entering and leaving the governate. This can also include the reduction of shops and restaurants if necessary. In Tunisia, travellers who are not wearing a mask can get a fine of 60 Tunisian dinars. It is strongly advised that travellers have completed their Covid-19 vaccinations before travelling to Tunisia. Those who are unvaccinated over 12 are required to show a PCR test that is conducted within 72 hours prior to travelling. Travellers are required to self-isolate for 7 days.
26.6. Tunisia is added to the British government’s red list.
25.6.2021. General confinement is announced in Manouba, Kef and Tataounine. This will only affect areas with 400 cases per 100.000 inhabitants
24.6.2021. The scientific committee in Tunisia have announced that there will be general confinement in several governates and that vaccinations will be intensified within these regions.
Other
3.7.2021. After announcing new departure and arrival times due to the curfew, Transtu decided also to educate its passengers on the need to always buy a ticket – and not jump on the train without a ticket. Transtu has experienced 267 incidents with theft of equipment and 554 cases of people throwing stones in 2020. These riots resulted in a reduction in train times and a falling number of passengers.
Links
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/red-list-tunsia-haiti-travel-b1871986.html
https://lepetitjournal.com/tunis/actualites/covid-19-renforcement-mesures-sanitaires-316163
Women, transport and employment in Africa 