Impact of minibus taxi scheduling on route efficiency South African transport conference 9-12 July 2018 Csir international convention centre, pretoria By: Masuku sboniso University of Pretoria Siyazi transportation planning (pty) ltd

Introduction: background Questions about the affordability and sustainability of BRT networks in South Africa. 2017; Gauteng MEC said (as quoted by Times Live); “We have already invested around R15 Billion in the system in the three metros, but Gauteng ridership is not more than 75 000 people per day.[] We have to ask some serious questions. Should we have gone for something more affordable and more viable?”

Introduction: aim To investigate the impact of changing minibus taxi operations from unscheduled to scheduled operations on route efficiency: Fleet size – Number of vehicles operating on a specific route. Average daily trips – Total daily trips/total operating fleet. Passenger waiting time – Maximum waiting time represented by departure headways. Why Minibus Taxi? Carries more public transport commuters than bus and rail combined. Existing mode utilising already existing infrastructure (ranks and roads). Source: 2014 GHTS; 2013 NHTS; UJ (2016)

methodology Pretoria CBD – Hammanskraal route. 5 day field surveys, from 04h00 to 20h00. For analysis and scheduling, each day was divided into: 04h00-09h00: Morning period (To school or work). 09h00-12h00: Midday period (At school or work). 12h00-15h00: Afternoon period (Work lunch and end of school day). 15h00-18h00: Evening period (To home from work). 18h00-20h00: Late trips

Results: current operations Daily trips vary by day and service. Activity and service vary facility.

Daily Summary For Scheduled Operation Results: scheduling Fleet Reduction: 220 to 160 vehicles (27%). Increased daily trips per vehicle: 1.5 - 2.2 to 4.75- 5.85 (more than double) Daily Summary For Scheduled Operation Day Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday Sunday Units Maximum Headway 7.5 6 Minutes Minimum Headway 1.5 0.75 1 Minimum Fleet Size 16 20 Vehicles Maximum Fleet Size 80 160 120 Total Trips 456 524 760 610 468 Trips Average Trips/Veh 5.7 6.55 4.75 5.08 5.85 Trips/Veh Current Trips/veh 2.2 2 1.6

Results: headway and passenger waiting time Reduced average and maximum headway. Current headway vary by facility and day. Max scheduled headway: 7.5 minutes (Friday) Min schedule headway: 45 seconds (Monday)

conclusion Scheduling results in: Smaller fleet; which means no need to purchase new vehicles. More trips per vehicle; which means improved vehicle utilisation and reduced vehicle down time. Shorter and consistent headways; which means reduced expected passenger waiting time and improved reliability. Transformation from individual to corporate ownership required to avoid business loss. Further studies required on other routes; financial impact on operators; and ability to integrate minibus taxi with other modes of public transport.

Special thanks and references Siyazi Transportation Planning (Pty) ltd Professor C. Venter (University of Pretoria) Aboo, S & Robertson, EJ 2016. “Go Goerge” (GIPTN) – a quality public transport system, elements for consideration. Proceedings, 35th South African Transport Conference, Pretoria, pp 677-688. Behrens, R, Golub, A & Schalekamp, H 2016. Approaches to paratransit reform. Paratransit reform in African Cities: Operations, regulations and reform, Chapter 5: pp 100-124. Brtdata.org, 2018. [Online], available: https://brtdata.org/location/Africa/south_Africa, [02 July 2018] Ceder, A 2007. Public transport planning and operation: modelling, practice and behaviour. Seedat, I 2007. Implementing the 2007 public transport strategy and action plan. Civil Engineering, September (2007): 13- 16. Venter, C 2013. The lurch towards formalisation: Lessons from implementation of BRT in Johannesburg, South Africa. Research in Transportation Economics, Vol 39: 114-120. Mabena, I 2017/ BRT a R15-billion flop, [Online], Available: https://www.timeslive.co.za/amp/news/south-Africa/2017-07-10- brt-a-r15-billion-flop/, [02 July 2018]