Abstract
Public transport is one of the most important ways to help a country drive economic growth and alleviate poverty, but it can also have devastating effects on the environment. Increased rates of habitat loss and fragmentation, erosion, as well as noise interruptions, contamination, toxic pollutants, vehicle emissions that worsen air quality, and deforestation and habitat destruction, are some of the impacts public transportation has on the environment. The dissertation aims to investigate these ecological effects. This study employed a phenomenological research design to address its goals. Moreover, a mixed method approach whereby participants were chosen using non-probability sampling was adopted. Furthermore, observations and questionnaires were conducted with Johannesburg residents to formulate the results and findings constructively. The study found that the majority of the respondents received socioeconomic benefits from the Bus Rapid Transit, Rea Vaya. However, environmental impacts such as deterioration of ecosystem services, pollutant emissions, noise pollution, and impacts on the landscape from transport infrastructure were observed. Furthermore, soil pollution and vibrations that give rise to a sinkhole were present at the site studied. These challenges resulted in traffic congestion, which further caused longer traveling distances and time. The study has proposed an urban public transport framework that may be used to reduce the environmental impacts of the Bus Rapid Transit system on the Johannesburg environment was developed.
Key words: Sustainability, Ecosystem services, Landscape, BRT, Public transport.