Minibus taxi industry partnerships for sustainable transport

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” because of the rapidly rising levels of urbanisation. Rapid rates of urbanisation and population growth require adequate transport systems to facilitate accessible, reliable and safe urban mobility. SDG Target 11.2 is to “provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all” and it emphasises the expansion of public transport, with special attention to the needs of the disadvantaged. The minibus taxi industry (MBTI), coined as the “servant for the urban poor”, accounts for approximately 63% of public transport work, school, and recreational trips. It is responsible for 15 million daily commuter trips, with an additional 325,000 commuters using minibus taxis as a feeder mode to other modes of transport. The MBTI plays a significant role in the South African public transport industry and thus needs to be leveraged to for sustainable transport solutions. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how partnerships between the MBTI and other stakeholders can be fostered to create sustainable transport solutions. The Institutional frameworks for Integrated Mobility Services (IRIMS) in future cities will be used to relate the interrelationships between stakeholders. There are four main stakeholders in the stakeholder model namely, the MBTI, businesses (private companies), users (commuters) and the state (government); collectively referred to as the MBUS Model. An introduction to the stakeholders in the MBUS model will be given, followed by a discussion on their current way of operating. IRIMS will be discussed, highlighting the institutional levels that exist within the framework. A theoretical solution is discussed to demonstrate the sustainable nature of IRIMS. This paper advocates for the inclusion of the MBTI in developing sustainable transport solutions, emphasising on how partnerships between the MBTI and existing institutions can be done to achieve this.