World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
With a fleet of new buses, Metropolitan Bus Services (tel: (011) 403 4300; website: www.mbus.co.za) offers a scheduled bus service covering 108 routes within the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan area. The service runs 0600-1900 and is less convenient than the forms of taxi transport but probably safer – although visitors should not travel on an empty bus, due to the high frequency of mugging. Fares work on a zonal system centring on Ghandi Square (formerly Vanderbijl Square) bus terminus, corner of Main and Rissik Streets, with zone one (single fare R2,50) closest and zone six (single fare R9) farthest.

No bus passes are currently available. Tickets can be bought on the bus from the driver or ten-trip ‘clipcards’ can be bought from kiosks at Ghandi Square bus terminus. A fine of R200 can be imposed on anyone not in possession of a valid ticket.

Taxis
The quickest (but not necessarily safest) way to get around Johannesburg is on one of the minibus taxis (sometimes called Zola Budds), which depart when full, pick up anywhere (simply hold up an arm with raised index finger) and serve the main routes 0500-2100. The main minibus ranks are at the Newtown public car park, along the length of Noord Street between Twist and Claim Streets, and at Kazerne, on the corner of Sauer and Pim Streets. Visitors should note that taxi ranks are plagued by petty thievery and should use a metered taxi if encumbered with baggage. The fare from central Johannesburg to Sandton or Soweto is around R7 – closer destinations, such as Melville and Bruma Lake, cost between R3 and R5. There are no passes or pre-paid tickets available for minibus taxis.

Metered taxis are infinitely more expensive but far safer and more convenient than minibuses. They do not cruise the streets and apart from at major hotels and the airport, where they are usually waiting at an official rank, can only be telephoned for pickup. Visitors must ensure that the controller (on the telephone) and the driver state the fare before allowing any luggage to be loaded. The meter rate is generally around R4-6 per kilometre, however, this is not properly regulated so all fares should be confirmed with the driver in advance. Unlike locals, foreigners often tip, and, although it is not expected, a R10-20 tip is appreciated. Visitors should avoid all men offering rides in their ‘taxis’, as these are likely to be unregistered, illegal and unroadworthy.

Rose Radio Taxis (tel: (011) 403 0000; fax: (011) 403 9896; website: www.rosetaxis.com) are well established and have a reputation for reliability. Alternatively, Maxi Taxi Cabs (tel: (011) 648 1212; fax: (011) 648 8581) are also recommended.

Limousines
Ambassador Limousines (tel: (011) 886 7313; fax: (011) 886 7339; e-mail: ambassadorlimos@hotmail.com) offers limousines, starting at R350 per hour (minimum three hours). SALimousines (tel: (011) 614 4581; fax: (011) 614 7617) and VIPLimo (tel: (082) 903 0888; fax: (011) 615 3506; e-mail: vip@mweb.co.za) hire limousines at R550 for the first hour and R250 per hour thereafter.

Driving in the City
Johannesburg’s rise fairly closely parallels that of the automobile and this has allowed successive city planners to cater very well for the needs of private motorists. The network of roads and highways is excellent and well maintained and, apart from in the CBD (Central Business District), parking facilities are usually more than adequate. There is secure pay parking (R3-5 per hour) at Park City (24hrs) and at the Kazerne Municipal Parking Garage (0600-1800), entered from Simmonds. Visitors using street parking will come across an extremely common practice, where children and adults hang around the area and expect a tip of about R2 for ‘guarding’ people’s cars – it is advisable to pay up as ‘not guarding’ the car may actually mean damaging it!

Traffic congestion is generally limited to the rush-hour periods of 0700-0900 and 1600-1800. At other times, most locations within the city can be reached in well under an hour. The main road hazards are poor driving (especially by minibus taxi drivers), a lack of visible traffic policing and the constant threat of attack by smash-and-grab thieves and armed hijackers. Visitors should never stop for hitchhikers or at accident scenes and always keep their doors locked and windows up. After dark, many motorists also (illegally) ignore red traffic lights (when in isolated or deserted areas, such as highway exits or intersections adjacent to parks), for safety reasons.

Car Hire
The car hire companies with a reputation for reliability (although not necessarily for low prices) are Avis and Imperial. Avis (tel: 0861 021111; website: www.avis.co.za) has a branch in Sandton, 167A Rivonia Road, Morningside, with rates starting from R220 per day. Imperial has branches nationwide nationwide (tel: (011) 784 1452; website: www.imperial.ih.co.za), and the Rivonia Boulevard branch, Rivonia Road, Morningside, offers rates from R173 per day. A cheaper option for travellers may be Apex (tel: (011) 402 5150; fax: (011) 402 0655), otherwise known as Rent-A-Wreck, with branches at various locations. Apex rates are from R70 per day, R500 weekly (excluding kilometre charge).

All the above rates exclude insurance and other charges. Optional insurance is provided by the car hire agencies and is highly recommended, particularly against theft. All car hire companies require drivers to be at least 23 years old and to have been driving for a minimum of five years. A passport, credit card and International Driving Permit (IDP) will be required.

Bicycle Hire
Johannesburg’s town planners have made absolutely no provision for bicycles in their grand schemes and consequently many motorists do not view cyclists as being legitimate users of the road. It therefore comes as no surprise that no one hires out bicycles in the city.