The Gautrain has announced several revisions to its fare structure which came into effect on Sunday, June 1.

The Gautrain will introduce a multitiered fare structure offering discounts of up to 30% between peak red and off-peak green train fares, while commuters in the intermediate orange period will enjoy a 10% discount on the peak red fare, explains Bombela Concession Company operations executive Errol Braithwaite.

He says the increase in the off-peak discount is part of an ongoing strategy to grow overall patronage by incentivising off-peak travel.

The Gautrain system has been struggling with overcrowding during peak periods, as year-on-year train patronage has grown by nearly 30%.

Besides the altered fare structure, options to extend parking facilities at the Rhodesfield, Rosebank, Midrand, Centurion and Pretoria stations are already being considered.

The change in fare structure is also being implemented in tandem with the introduction of additional train capacity during peak periods. On April 22, Gautrain introduced another eight-car train in both the morning and afternoon peak periods to address growing demand.

Red fares will only be applicable during the morning peak hour (06:30 to 07:30), and also only in the peak demand directions, namely south-bound and west-bound.

The new structure will see orange fares increase by between 5% and 9% on the previous year’s standard fares, with the aim of making shorter trips more attractive.

The green off-peak discounts are an incentive for commuters to explore flexible commuting hours and will apply to pay-as-you-go fares where the commuter enters the system on weekdays before 06h00, between 08:30 and 15:30, or after 18:00.

A passenger who buys a pay-as-you-go ticket for a single trip from Hatfield Station, in Tshwane, to Park Station, in Johannesburg – the longest possible trip on the Gautrain – will now pay R68 during the red peak period, R62 during the orange period and R49 during the green off-peak period.

Period products will also continue to offer benefits to regular commuters, with trips on a 35-day ticket (44 trips) offering a 24% discount (on average), and those on a seven-day ticket (ten trips), a 17% discount, compared with the red peak period fare.

Bus fares will remain unchanged.

Airport-service train fares are set to increase by R10 a trip, while the daily parking tariff will increase by R3, from R15 to R18.

The new fare structure aims to promote balanced use of the trains, buses and parking facilities and to ensure that the Gautrain remains price-attractive to its respective target markets, particularly private vehicle users, says Braithwaite.

Weekday train patronage now regularly exceed 56 000 passengers a day, wiht bus patronage at around 22 000 passengers a day.