The Evolution of Household Transport Spending in Post-Apartheid South Africa: 1995-2015

Abstract

This paper uses nationally representative household survey data to examine changes in household transport expenditure in South Africa from 1995 to 2015. These data show a dramatic increase in transport expenditure, in both absolute terms and as a share of total expenditure, across all groups within the sample. By 2015, almost half of South African households allocated more than 10% of total expenditure towards transport. Black, Coloured and lower-quintile South African households experienced the largest increases in transport expenditure share over time. We undertake simple Engel curve analysis, to estimate expenditure elasticities for overall transport spending as well as for public and private transport.