After vandalism and theft effectively shut down Johannesburg’s passenger rail service during the Covid-19 pandemic, commuters say their daily trips have become more expensive and more dangerous. Most now rely on private mini-bus taxis, which are largely unregulated and characterized by cut-throat competition. Turf wars between rival taxi organizations have killed both drivers and passengers.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has slowly been restoring services — and the city runs a limited bus network — but efforts remain inadequate for a city of 5 million people. The challenge partly stems from apartheid-era urban planning, which favored sprawl and scattered Black townships far from city centers, Zinhle Xaba reports. Today on CityLab: Commuters Are Caught in Johannesburg's Taxi Feuds as Transit Lags

— Rthvika Suvarna 

Note: Yesterday’s edition of CityLab Daily misstated the price of Jeff Bezos’s wedding bash. That has been corrected in the web version.

More on CityLab

US Renters Face Storm of Rising Costs
A building boom has helped slow rent increases. But affordable apartments remain scarce, and higher energy costs and cuts to housing aid further cloud the forecast. 

US State Budget Wounds Intensify From Trump, DOGE Policy Shifts
States are sounding the alarm over the billions in revenue they stand to lose under Trump’s broadscale government cuts and the impact of his trade policies.

Brookfield's Bet on a Road Becomes a $2.7 Billion Headache in Peru
Protests, court fights, default fears and a populist mayor nicknamed Porky. Brookfield's foray into Peru isn't quite what it signed up for.

• Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean (Guardian)  

• The MTV reality star in Trump’s cabinet who wants you to have more kids (New York Times) 

• China’s electric-vehicle factories have become tourist hot spots (Wired)

• Elizabeth Street Garden to remain as Adams administration drops housing fight (Gothamist)

• The subway is not scary (How Things Work)

• Economics Daily for what the changing landscape means for policymakers, investors and you
• Green Daily for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance
• Hyperdrive for expert insight into the future of cars
• Design Edition for CityLab’s newsletter on design and architecture — and the people who make buildings happen
• Working Capital for making sense of the evolving workplace

Explore all Bloomberg newsletters.