The article critiques the flawed comparison between the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), arguing that they occupy distinct positions within the transport ecosystem.Prasa provides affordable commuter rail services to millions of South Africans, while Acsa manages airports serving commercial aviation.The author emphasizes that commuter rail inherently requires public subsidies as a public good, unlike commercially viable airports.

The piece highlights Prasa's recovery efforts post-governance failures, infrastructure damage, and pandemic impacts, noting improved service restoration, governance, and modernization.It stresses that evaluating Prasa through commercial metrics ignores its developmental mandate, akin to how Eskom is assessed.

The conclusion advocates for distinguishing between historical failures and recovery, urging policy frameworks that align with public value rather than commercial benchmarks.

The article calls for honest debate on financing and modernizing public utilities, emphasizing affordability, reliability, and inclusive growth as key metrics for Prasa's success.