Although this publication focuses on South Africa, the challenges and possible solutions to funding public transport have value for every city grappling with similar urban forms, financial constraints and transport inequity. Almost every African city is planning some form of public transport improvement.

Like Cape Town and Johannesburg, many other sub-Saharan African cities are implementing, planning or considering what they hope to be transformative or catalytic Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects that replace the current paratransit industry. These cities include Lagos (Nigeria), Kampala (Uganda) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). This brief provides a broad overview of some of the ways in which public transport planning and infrastructure have been funded and financed in various countries. It then notes that subsequent operational shortfalls are inevitable, and considers (1) ways in which these shortfalls could be met, and (2) alternatives to implementing the costly comprehensive, corridor-based approach to public transportation that is the most commonly proposed intervention in sub-Saharan Africa.

Citation: Citation: Jennings, Gail (2017) Planning for financially sustainable public transport, brief for WWF-SA, Low-Carbon Passenger Transport Solutions, WWF-SA, Cape Town, South Africa