Minibus-taxis as providers of scheduled, park & ride services : a concept for Stellenbosch

Abstract

In South Africa the minibus-taxi industry is the most frequent, available and affordable mode of transport, and is a critical pillar of the transport sector, with approximately 65% market share. Stellenbosch experiences high usage of private cars (share of 87%), which results in congestion during the peak periods (Stellenbosch Municipality, 2016); public transport, on the other hand, remains under-used – in particular minibus-taxis. The study looks at transforming the current informal minibus-taxi (MBT) type operations into a formal, scheduled, quality public transport system. Further, we propose that the industry is recognised as a complex, dynamic system rather than a single business (Fourie, 2003; Fobosi, 2013). By formal we mean the establishment of the minibus-taxi into a formal, corporatised entity, and awarding them the responsibility of operating scheduled services, compliance to prescribed labour regulations such as drivers' hours of work, minimum wages and annual leaves (Mahlangu, 2002). This includes ‘park and rides’ as suggested by the municipality to alleviate congestion and encourage public transport ridership. It also means designing regulations specific to local problems, objectives and market conditions.The minibus-taxi industry represents an industry in which employers (taxi operators, associations and cooperatives) and employees (drivers, queue marshals, patrollers, administrators and fare collectors) are associated for the purposes of transporting passengers by road for reward in vehicles other than buses (TETA, 2016).