Abstract:
The City of Johannesburg, South Africa, implemented the first phase of its Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) system named Rea Vaya between 2009 and 2011. The system design and
organisational arrangements drew heavily on precedents from South America, especially
insofar as BRT is used as an instrument for securing the transformation and formalisation of
a fragmented and problematic informal public transport industry. Despite the inevitable
transition problems, the formalisation scheme appears to be generally successful – an
outcome that surprised many analysts as it follows a long history of mistrust, resistance, and
unsuccessful interventions between government and the minibus taxi industry. The paper
offers an analysis of the reasons for the successful transformation of participating taxi
operators, by using a life-cycle analogy. We argue that the minibus-taxi industry in South
Africa has reached a state of stasis and maturity, with limited opportunities for further growth
in its present form. BRT, as it is implemented locally, offers opportunities for re-invention –
for moving onto new a potential growth trajectory – by overcoming the binding constraints of
informality and by opening up new markets to operators. The life-cycle analysis also offers
some insights into critical success factors that, if not met in the long run, could jeopardize the
longevity and scalability of the formalisation project. The paper concludes with insights
regarding the planning and management of BRT systems to maximize their potential for
leveraging the formalisation of informal operators, both in South Africa and in other
developing countries.
