Introduction:

Transport is one of the major contributors to the world economy. The world economy relies on the efficiency of the transport.

Transport is the backbone of the economy of the world and without consistent transport system; the world economy will come to a standstill. The world economy needs transport in order to survive and to function properly.

German Transport:

The German transport system and its infrastructure is one of the most fascinating and well-developed systems in the world.

The day that I arrived in Germany on the 06 January 2004, I wondered to myself, as I saw the traffic, ‘What did the Germans do with the old cars? Was there a special day on which all the old cars were auctioned. The Germans rely mostly on private transport, rather than public transport.

Bus and Rail Transport:

The way buses and trains operate is one of the amazing things that I have ever seen. The bus and rail transport are linked to each other. Passengers can also use their bus tickets on the trains. Further, commuters can buy train tickets as a group of five people at a discounted rate. The trains and buses are always on time and the time tables are available at every bus stop. During working hours, one seldom has to wait for longer than ten minutes for the next bus. Trains also run frequently. A very strange experience for me is that one’s ticket is seldom checked when taking a ride on the trains or the bus. The driver seldom asks the passengers for their tickets. How does one know whether all the people on the bus actually bought tickets? The German people know it is illegal to ride a bus without a ticket, regardless of whether it is checked or not. Germans also recognise that if passengers did not pay for their rides, buses would not be able to function.

Public transport functions so well that it is almost meaningless to buy your own car. Where ever you want to go, the public transport is available and it is safe. The rail infrastructure that we experienced in the city of Munich, with the various levels on which its subway trains run, is one of the most perfect and best integrated I have ever experienced.

As South Africans I believe that we still have a long way to go and the question that I asked to myself, what makes us different to other nations because all of us, we are the human beings. When South African rail commuters are being murdered daily and compare that with the German rail transport where you will realised that there is peace and discipline amongst the rail commuters. It seemed to me that the environment, civil society and economy are kept in harmony and our country can achieve this if we can tell ourselves more special as the youth of South Africa that we must make difference in our communities and contribute to the well being of our country. If we could learn from such societies we might just achieve a better life of all our citizens sooner than we think. I believe it is through partnership such as the Tübingen South Africa Programme that we will be able to limit the distance between continents as well as nations. This programme gave me hope that as we had the opportunity to interact with other cultures and how they do things, we would be able to take step closer to overcome our differences and to compete actively in the global economy

Report by Mbuso Tshaka (Cape Technikon)