Although Johannesburg has a reputation for transport-related crime such as carjacking, decent public transport links and roads make Johannesburg transportation fairly straightforward. World 66 recommends self-driving or taking a taxi with a reputable firm. Your first step in safe and effective transportation is to grab yourself a free map from the Johannesburg Tourist Centre in the airport, because it is very easy to get lost in this large and occasionally intimidating city.

Driving

Unfortunately (for those living in Jo'burg), the public transport is somewhat lacking. Often, the best option is to rent a car--just remember to drive on the left-hand side of the road!

At the airport you can find desks offering car rental services. Hertz is known to have the best deals and is a reliable brand. ResQ offers second-hand cars that are less desirable to carjackers, so you might consider these. If you want to solve both your accommodation and transportation needs at once, you might consider Britz Africa's camper vans for rent. Alternatively, if you are off-roading it in South Africa's gorgeous countryside, you might opt for a Landrover available from Kemp.

Taxi Rides--Be Careful!

As with any city, you should always take care when using taxis in Johannesburg. Use only clearly marked and well known companies such as Roses, Maxi, Rixi or SA. Taxi cabs do not normally cruise the streets looking for business, so you will have to phone to book one.

A Cheaper Option: Buses

For those more mindful of their budgets, the Metrobus system is a preferable and safe (certainly in the daytime) mode of Johannesburg transport. You can use a tag system instead of cash to purchase multiple rides and make life easier. You can tour the best sights in Jo'burg using "CitySlicker" deals.

An informal network of minibus taxis operate in most areas, but visitors often find this very difficult to use--a system of hand signs and other non-universal signals is used to indicate where to go; these signs are usually only known by the local community. Buses do not operate at all in many areas, especially suburbs. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, your best option is likely to rent a car. Plus, coming from Europe or the States, you will find it the fuel very cheap.