Lurching towards formalisation

Abstract

The system design and organisational arrangements drew heavily on precedents from South America, especially insofar as BRT (bus rapid transit) is used as an instrument for securing the transformation and formalisation of a fragmented and problematic informal public transport industry. Despite the inevitable transitional problems, the formalisation scheme appears to be generally successful - an outcome that surprised many analysts, following a long history of mistrust, resistance, and unsuccessful interventions between government and the minibus taxi industry. There are reasons for the successful transformation of participating taxi operators. 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 reinvention - for moving on to a new potential growth trajectory - by overcoming the binding constraints of informality and by opening up new markets to operators.