Having a car in Gauteng is a necessity as the province's public transport system is not up to scratch, the Inkatha Freedom Party said on Friday.

"If the Gauteng public transport system was at a level where a person could decide to leave their car and use public transport, then it would be an option," IFP representative Nonhlanhla Makhoba told the E-tolls Advisory Panel hearings in the Gauteng legislature.

IFP Gauteng leader Bonginkosi Dlamini agreed with her.

He pointed out that having a car was a necessity in the province to find employment, because some employers made it a requirement for even junior employees to have a car and a driver's licence.

However, Dlamini admitted that the Rea Vaya bus system was working well in several townships and people were willing to park their cars and use buses.

Gauteng premier David Makhura established the panel on July 17 to assess the social and economic impact of e-tolls.

The review panel is intended to examine the economic and social impact of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and the electronic tolling system set up to fund it.

The panel is expected to present its findings to Makhura at the end of November.