Abstract:
South Africa’s minibus taxis operate fundamentally differently to formalised and structured
public transport. The informal, demand-driven industry has grown into the constraints of
passenger demand, accessibility, and affordability of the lower-income group it tends to
serve, and it has become the main mode of transport for millions of South Africans.
The slow adoption of electric vehicles into South Africa's automotive industry presents
environmental and economic concerns. The transport industry emits high amounts of
carbon, and the automotive industry is completely reliant on producing internal combustion
engine vehicles which will eventually be phased out by the country's biggest international
customers.
Efforts towards electrification must prioritise minibus taxis due to their importance to local
paratransit. However, this is a complex endeavour. Electrification will inevitably introduce
many challenges through a complex web of factors and dependencies, ranging from
mobility and charging operations to environmental impacts and vehicle characteristics.
This paper identifies and analyses these factors and dependencies and describes some of
the key considerations required to ensure a successful paratransit transition to electric
mobility. The paper concludes that although the complexity of economic, environmental,
and energy-based aspects is unpacked, there are additional factors such as road safety
and other social considerations that are required for more holistic electric mobility
planning. All these factors must be considered as parts of a larger ecosystem of
electrification instead of as individual problems.
