In the international arena, the buzz word ‘mobility’ conjures images of high-tech mass-rapid-transit systems in international cities, linked with entrepreneurial, tech driven start-ups such as e-hailing companies, micro solutions like e-scooters and share bike programs linking efficient, high speed rail and air solutions modernized to meet our contemporary transport needs. In South Africa, ‘mobility’ denotes the urban transport imperative that is integral to our economic activity, an informal modality all but void of innovation, propped up and supported by our often ominous Minibus taxi industry. The South African transport sector is dominated by the Minibus Taxi, an often colourful 14-16 seater minivan, loved and hated by those who both use them and share the roads with them. Necessitated out of the Government’s rigid, expensive and time-consuming public transport system, these taxis operated illegally from 1977 until they were formally legalized in 1987, carrying passengers from outlying areas dedicated by the Apartheid Government’s spatial planning regime, to racially exclusive city centers and economic hubs. A full 26 years since the fall of the Apartheid regime, and minibus taxis are still responsible for the daily movements of 15 million passengers across the nation, covering a staggering 19 billion kilometers per year. South Africa is a country of great distances between economic nodes, distances which are perfectly suited to be address by our rail network. Extending 36 thousand kilometers and making up 75% of Africa’s rail infrastructure, the underutilized infrastructure has long been forgotten in today’s commuter transport mix. This stark disparity is a result of years of neglect in the South African rail industry, with public policy and spending focused on other modes, investment on rail was reliant on the incumbent operator’s inadequate balance sheet. Born out of necessity, the minibus taxi is not without its limitations. Responsible for 10% of South Africa’s road deaths (3 deaths a day), often as a result of poor or non-existent vehicle maintenance, lack of driving ability, or outright negligence. Due to the nature of the industry, drivers are encouraged to take advantage of demand, attempting to fit as many trips as possible during peak times, as well as squeeze as many fare-paying passengers into the vehicle as possible. One recent incident involved a 14-seater minibus in the province of Limpopo caught with transporting 58 children during a local school run. The emergence of politicised taxi associations and lobby groups, this industry has the power to grind South Africa to a standstill should they deem it necessary, which they often do. Due to the above-mentioned redundant long-distance public transport systems, the taxi industry is able to punch above its weight, offering provincial, long distance commuters a nimble solution to their transport needs, a sector which should be serviced by our rail network. Applying our unique transport system to international mobility trends, we see an interesting convergence. Global cities are focusing policy frameworks and public mandates on reducing emissions are congestion standards by reducing the amount of vehicles on their roads, with goals such as the Mayor of London’s transport strategy, aiming for 80% of all trips in London completed by bicycle, walking or public transport by 2041. Cities are encouraging modality shift (people replacing their cars) through the use of densifying their transit modes with the use of innovative tech driven solutions. Uber’s Chief Executive, Travis Kalanick famously said that his solution would lead to a decrease in congestion in our cities, however the Wall Street Journal has pointed out that their ride hailing solutions have made congestion worse. Although e-hailing may have increased congestion, they have paved the way for entrepreneurial entities to innovate. Applying the e-hailing solution to systems designed to efficiently increase mobility such as privatized mass transport, you have an ideal that many global cities currently seek. One such solution is ViaVan, a partnership between an American Mobility-As-A-Service (MAAS) company, Via, and Mercedes Benz Vans which uses their proprietary algorithm to aggregate demand on particular routes, promoting a densification of passengers who require a vaguely similar origin/destination trip to share a vehicle. They do this by taking the riders needs into account, creating a virtual bus stop or pick up point, and pooling their riders to achieve efficiencies not yet seen in our major tech-driven mobility start-ups. This solution emulates South Africa’s Minibus Taxi method of operation, except instead of contested routes and taxi associations, algorithms and big data run the aggregation.
The South African minibus taxi industry leaves a lot to be desired, however, is the world catching up to us? Competencies and efficiencies shown in the South African environment are now applied in cities across the world, conversely, the space for innovation in our own nodes and links is immense. We need to change our perception of the minibus taxi being a competing mode, and rather apply it with its competitive characteristics in mind, a cog in the system rather than a system on its own. |