Transport justice for students: Transport crisis and some suggestions

Unsafe, costly, and unreliable travel is a significant issue for students from working-class and poor communities. Among the consequences are missed classes, late arrivals, and dropouts from university. This article examines the challenges faced by female students in Johannesburg and Bellville (near Cape Town), where local universities predominantly serve students from working-class communities. Public transport articles rarely address the experiences of young women who are students of the university education system in South Africa. The article suggests ways to improve the transportation conditions for these students based on in-depth interviews conducted in 2021 and 2022 and secondary sources. The findings reveal that women not only feel unsafe in their communities and homes but also when using different modes of transport to travel to and from the universities. The article concludeswith suggestions and proposals to enhance the transportation conditions for women from working class communities in higher education.