Characterisation of the taxi commuting system in South Arica: a case study with Menlyn Taxi Association

Abstract

Taxis are the main mode of transport used by commuters in South Africa. The management of transport utilized by commuters in developing countries has become problematic more especially in large metropolitan areas. The main cause of this is urbanization which is the movement of people to cities for better opportunities accessible, therefore this results in massive demand of public transport especially minibus-taxis. In South Africa little research has been conducted on the management of minibus-taxi, improvement of the service and scheduling route for taxis. Scheduling bus system approach is used to solve scheduling problems within the taxi industry. A number of countries like Taiwan and Lisbon experience public transport problems. Therefore less attention given to public transportation may lead to commuter utilising private transportation which may result in congestion of roads. The government has introduced Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system in four cities which are Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela bay. This system will help in integrating bus, train and taxis into one but BRT is still under development in all the cities. Passengers encounter long queues in ranks during pick hours which in most cases results in long waiting period. In certain routes passengers wait long for taxis because they pass the area full especial on peak hours. This study discusses the waiting time for passengers and taxi utilisation time cycle for each destination. The findings of this study will be used for recommendations on how the taxi services can be improved.