Can I use contactless or card to pay for public transport in South Africa?

South Africa is mixed. In Cape Town, the MyCiTi bus uses a myconnect card, which you buy and top up at kiosks (cash or card accepted). Gautrain in Johannesburg also uses a reloadable card. But minibus taxis across the country are cash-only - no exceptions. ATMs from Standard Bank, FNB, Absa, and Nedbank are widespread. It’s best to carry small rand notes for taxis while relying on cards for formal systems.

I assumed buses would accept cards like they do in Europe, but nope - most local buses I tried in Pretoria only accepted cash. Same with the informal vans that run between towns - the driver or someone collecting the fare just asks for coins. I didn’t know this ahead of time, so I had to hop off and find an ATM on my first ride. After that, I kept small cash in my daypack. It’s a little old-school, but easy once you get used to it.

In cities like Johannesburg and Durban, most public transport is still pretty informal. Minibuses, local shuttles, and long-distance taxis all run on cash. There's no tap-and-go card system like in some other countries. I used Bolt for convenience, which I paid through the app. But for anything else, I made sure to always carry at least R100-R150 in cash just in case. Don't rely on using a bank card or your phone for daily commutes - it’s not that kind of setup yet.

I stayed in Cape Town for two weeks and used the MyCiTi Bus often - it’s one of the few public transport systems that doesn’t take cash directly or cards. You buy a reloadable card (R35 when I got it), and top it up at stations. For anything else - shared taxis, local buses - I needed small cash. Card payment isn’t really an option unless you're using Uber or Bolt. I kept about R200 in small bills for local transport and it worked well.

I used minibus taxis a lot around Johannesburg and Soweto, and they’re strictly cash-based - no cards, no apps. Most rides are R10-R20, so having coins or small notes really helped. Even in Cape Town, the local Golden Arrow buses didn’t take cards when I tried. For tourists, the MyCiTi Bus in Cape Town is an exception - you’ll need to buy a MyCiTi card and load money onto it. But for most local transport, you’ll definitely need cash on hand.