Public transit and crime. An exploratory study on commuter’s perceptions of crime in Metrorail trains: a case study of Durban station.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Rail transport is regarded as the cheapest mode of on-land transport for commuters who need to
travel to and from work or school. It has distinctive characteristics that, over the years, have made
it popular as a cost-effective mode of transport that accommodates a high number of people and
reduces road congestion. It is an undeniable fact that railway transport has played an important
role in many countries’ social and economic development. However, generally tolerant rail
commuters in the city of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, have become increasingly frustrated at the
declining quality of rail service delivery. This is evidenced by recent incidents of angry commuters
who burnt trains due to failed rail assets, particularly in the Western Cape. These acts have been
contemplated as a commuter strategy to enforce and guarantee service improvement by the
operator, regardless of the negative effects they have on rail infrastructure and the economic
wellbeing of the country as a whole.
In terms of Metrorail services, the inconsistency between commuters’ expectations and
management’s understanding of their expectations has exacerbated the perception of poor service
quality. The rail commuter industry has been plagued by a history of poor service delivery due to
inaccessibility, crowding, and poor security as the main reasons for dissatisfaction with railway
services. In terms of the unreliability of Metrorail services, research has revealed that trains are
rarely on time and tend to stop in the middle of nowhere without notice. This has prompted late
arrivals at work and the possibility of job losses for commuters. Moreover, such delays and
stoppages lead to train overcrowding and safety risks. As everyone’s main goal is get inside that
train as soon as it arrives, getting inside could mean shoving, climbing on top of the train, or
hanging from doors or windows. The lack of measures to curb such behaviour highlights the fact
that commuters are treated with disdain and that nothing is done to reduce overcrowding and the
unreliability of Metrorail services.
Moreover, there has been a growing concern about crime becoming a major issue for law-abiding
commuters. Both major crimes such as acts of violence, murder or robbery and minor crimes such as pick-pocketing occur regularly on trains or at stations. Due to ever-changing pattern within the
transport sector, crime has succeeded into instilling fear in commuters. As a result, it has become
a serious problem in South Africa that does not only have a negative effect on commuters, but on
the economy of the country as well.
Public transport networks provide a number of unique settings (places and times) across which
crime and disorder can occur. These spaces include train stations and inside trains where there is
no security. It was against this background that an extensive literature review was embarked on
and individual interviews were conducted with 20 commuters that had been recruited at a selected
train station in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The prime aim of the study was to explore commuters’
perceptions of crime on Metrorail trains. It was anticipated that interviewing commuters who relied
on Metrorail services as their main mode of transport would elicit in-depth insight into the issue at
hand.
A qualitative study design was employed to collect data by conducting semi-structured interviews.
Open-ended questions that allowed the participants to share their experiences openly without being
limited in any way were asked in the interview schedule. A thematic analysis process was used to
make sense of the data from the various themes that emerged. To understand the criminological
phenomenon under study, two significant theories were utilised to underpin this study namely, the
routine activities theory and the crime pattern theory.
The findings suggest that a lack of patrol officers on trains and at train stations, as well as the high
level of overcrowding on trains, are contributing factors towards the high crime rates in this
industry. The data that were collected from the interviews were substantiated by the findings of
earlier studies that suggested that, due to affordability, more people were using railway transport
currently than in the past. However, as the number of commuters increased, so did crime. The
findings further propose that the ineffectiveness of policies and legislations that are in place to
curb crime in the railway sector calls for a revitalisation of the purpose to provide safe, secure and
reliable Metrorail services to commuters.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.