Cape Town

Addressing service reliability and passenger comfort problems in the industry and over- and under-trading problems across the city public transport service network.

About Cape Town Living Lab

The Cape Town partner is implementing the living lab project through two ‘embedded’ doctoral researchers. The embedded researchers will conduct research that is of mutual interest to both the host organisations, and the Centre for Transport Studies (located in the University of Cape Town’s Department of Civil Engineering). The embedded researchers will split their on-site working time appropriately between the host organisation and the university. The university will provide staff to supervise the PhD candidates and take responsibility for the academic requirements of the research, while the host organisations will insert the researchers into the applicable project teams and seek synergies in data collection and analysis processes.

One researcher will be embedded in Loop. The ‘living lab’ will monitor the impacts of diffusing cashless fare collection and (charter) ride-sourcing technologies, and explore industry reform from an economic development, as opposed to a purely regulatory, perspective. Scalable interventions, aimed at informal public transport service quality improvement, that operators are willing to accept have proved elusive in Sub-Saharan Africa. Industry-led technology disruptions aimed at business development may have better prospects and lessons for elsewhere. Mutually- acceptable cashless fare collection and ride-sourcing technologies (applicable in target-, commission- and salary-remuneration business models) have struggled to endure in Sub-Saharan Africa minibus operations – a technology that does not force an immediate disruption of the target system, and does not generate greater exposure to income tax, may have better prospects and lessons for elsewhere.

Another researcher will be embedded in the City of Cape Town. The research will possible rationalisation and optimisation of informal public transport service routes, as input into a proposed regime of proactive operating licensing, linked to devolved operating licensing functions and the renewal of 7-year operating licenses. Existing legislation and regulation have contributed to operating inefficiencies. There may be considerable potential for rationalising vehicle size and service route alignments (and over- and under-trading problems across the city public transport service network) that can inform a more proactive (multi-modal) approach to operating licensing.

Cape Town has a city population of ~4.9 million. Its public transport service network is comprised of conventional large buses, bus rapid transport, passenger trains, and minibus-taxis. The market share of minibus-taxis has grown over the past two decade, and now carries the largest share of the public transport passenger market.

Public transport governance in the city is fragmented, which in turn has created a fragmented multi-modal public transport service network. The legacy minibus-taxi quantity licensing regime has been unable to manage market entry or rationalise fleets and route networks effectively. While essential to the city’s functioning, the quality and efficiency of minibus-taxi services can be improved. Various attempts have been made to improve service quality and efficiency, but these have either stalled or have been abandoned.

The method to be employed in the Loop App ‘living lab’ will be ground-floor longitudinal monitoring of cashless fare collection and (charter) ride-sourcing technology disruptions for different stakeholders (i.e. association leaders, vehicle owners, drivers, gaatjies, and passengers).

The method to be employed in the minibus-taxi service rationalisation will be vehicle size and route optimisation modelling in which operator and passenger costs will be compared.

1. Loop
2. Urban Mobility Directorate, City of Cape Town