Abstract:
In South African cities, traditional public transport struggles to meet the needs of residents
without private vehicles, leading to competition for road space and deteriorating service
quality. Rail services have also declined, forcing many commuters to seek alternatives.
Consequently, accessing work and school has become difficult and costly. To address
these issues, the South African government initiated a public transport improvement
program centered on Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTNs). Initially,
IRPTNs aimed to replace existing road based services (both traditional bus and minibus
taxis) with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks, incorporating affected operators through
compensation. However, implementation challenges arose, prompting a reevaluation of
the role of minibus taxis (MBTs) in the network. Various strategies are now being
considered to retain MBT services as part of fully Integrated Public Transport Networks
(IPTNs). The National Treasury’s Cities Support Programme (CSP) commissioned a
project to assist cities in understanding MBT transition processes and to develop a
framework for IPTN planning and MBT integration. This paper provides an overview of the
outcomes of the CSP project as well as the recommendations as part of the framework for
MBT integration into the IPTN of cities.
