An analysis on institutional preparedness to bus route tendering in the context of a fragmented liberalized market: case study of Harare, Zimbabwe

In many cities of the developed world, the previously public owned and subsidized bus operators which provided services with minimal exposure to competition have been deregulated. Literature suggests that deregulation especially uncontrolled deregulation has resulted in an unprecedented proliferation of minibus operators, both registered and unregistered. The oversupply of vehicles inevitably leads to a reduction in round trips and reduced profits to operators. In order for operators to remain afloat in business, their drivers have developed dangerous driving behaviors typified by tailgating, picking up and dropping off passengers at undesignated sites, establishing and operating from incidental bus termini (along major roads). This behaviour is both a road capacity and safety concern. In 2012, the Government of Zimbabwe published their first National Transport Policy, which identified route tendering as one option among others, to address some of the operational challenges emanating from a deregulated urban public transport market. The objective of this paper is to interrogate whether the intention to implement bus route tendering augurs well with awareness of what route tendering entails. The following questions will be addressed: What are the views of stakeholders on competitive tendering? What benefits can accrue? What pre-conditions are necessary for the successful implementation of route tendering? Is the prevailing urban public transport institutional framework conducive and prepared for route tendering? These are pertinent questions as the country has no experience of route tendering and there are very few examples in Africa to learn from.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Multi-stakeholder dialogue on formal and informal forms of public transport in Harare, Zimbabwe: Convergence or divergence perspective

Cities in the developing world are growing both geographically and demographically. Thisgrowth has increased pressure on services, including the public transport systems used bythe majority of people. In the last two decades public transport provision has undergoneconsiderable changes. Concomitant to these changes there has been debate on the formof public transport to be operated. Such debate has been informal, general, and at timesacademic, and therefore not able to provide substantive understanding of the views of keystakeholders. Zimbabwe has had an explosion of informal transport activity in the formof minibuses, and decision makers appear to be in a policy dilemma because of a need tostrike a balance between maximising passenger welfare whilst protecting the livelihoods ofindigenous minibus operators and striving to build an efficient and environmentally soundurban transport system. Critical questions for policy dialogue in this conundrum include,inter alia: How do stakeholders perceive the current public transport system? How can publictransport be sustainably provided? This study seeks to answer these questions using a casestudy of Harare. A qualitative research approach blended with some quantitative aspects wasused. Initial steps involved the identification and clustering of key urban public passengertransport stakeholders, followed by structured and unstructured interviews. Although thereis lack of consensus on the form of public transport that the City of Harare should adopt, thereis a strong view that a mass transit system is the backbone of sustainable public transport

Servicing the Needs of Inflating Population at Growth Points in Zimbabwe? Spatio-Temporal and Economic Considerations

While growth points in Zimbabwe were created to become economically viable spatial entities, over time they have not so much grown as intended. Amid the urbanization thrust in the country, these places have grown and continue to grow demographically. Little studies, if any, in Zimbabwe, have been done to establish the possible future outcomes of this urbanization of small settlements. This present paper examines the implications of the multiplier effect at growth points in the country. The main question is: What is the likely future of the growth centres in the country and what new infrastructural and related assets need to be in place if chaotic urbanization is to characterize these places. By case studies we attempt to make a rapid assessment of the situation, basing on historical trends and developments with the aim of proposing future policy and practical alternatives

Pathways to Effective Public Participation for Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Development: Experiences of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project

World cities, particularly in the global south, have been experiencing rapid urbanisation. Seemingly, rapid and high urbanisation levels that have been experienced are forcing governments at all levels to plan and implement transport infrastructure that meet the ever incerasing travel demand. Coincidentally, sustainability discourses have been gaining momentum in the past few decades. At the heart of the quest to develop and manage sustainable and inclusive transport infrastructure is the adherence and promotion of public participation throughout the project life cycle. If the effectiveness of public participation is not monitored, such processes are perceived to be limited to simply informing the public or manipulation of the public and controlling of planning outcomes by authorities. Consequently, this paper explores the different types of public participation experienced during the conceptualisation, planning, implementation and management of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The work adopted a qualitative research approach wherein an exploratory reseach design was applied in the GIFP case study in South Africa. We sought to get insights into the extent and scope of engagement of stakeholders throughout the GFIP project lifecycle. Research findings reveal that the public outcry over the GFIP electronic payment tolling (e-tolling) resulted in defiance of the payments. The e-toll debate in Gauteng has caused widespread criticism and this strong response to the method of road levy rests on the perception that decision makers undertook insufficient public participation. Besides the statutory public participation requirements executed in terms of the applicable by-law, public engagements were perceived to have not been effective, yet the user-pay scheme makes the user or public an important component of the project. Future studies are necessary for assessing the public participation from conceptualisation, not after the implementation of plans. This study reviews a project already implemented and it might be necessary to analyse a project before implementation so that processes involved are analysed during the real-life cycle. The public participation process must be interrogated before project commencement and future research is necessary

Informal public transport driver behaviour and regulatory policy linkage: An expose

Background: Literature on the negative socio-economic and environmental externalities generated by informal public transport (IPT) in developing countries is vast, vibrant and growing fast. These externalities include but are not limited to noise, air and land pollution, accidents and, more importantly, a source of congestion (human and vehicular) because of poor driver behaviour. In this article, the research does not seek to reinstate these, but rather, it argues that poor driver behaviour is a dependent variable to some regulatory policy stimuli. Yet, an extensive literature survey has shown that the driver behaviour and urban transport regulation linkage remain little explored. Objective: The purpose of this article was to unpack the relationship between informal public transport driver behaviour and the prevailing regulatory framework. Method: Based on a case study of Harare, Zimbabwe, the researcher adopted a mixed-methods paradigm and interrogated the prevailing urban public transport regulatory regimes and applied professional judgement, oral interviews backed by some quantitative data and relate these to obtaining IPT driver behavioural characteristics. Results: Poor driver behaviour exhibited by IPT were generated, exacerbated and or eased by the prevailing regulatory policy. This is well depicted through an IPT driver behaviour and regulation loop reinforcing diagram. Conclusion: Following this argument, the article cautions policy makers and urban managers alike that direct approaches and interventions when trying to regulate IPT poor driver behaviour and its secondary negative effects will be futile as long as the regulatory policy remains the same. Failure to recognise and connect the dots between IPT driver behaviour and policy partly explains why globally, the IPT sector has proved difficult in prohibiting, restructuring or even formalising it

Institutional preparedness to bus tendering in the context of a fragmented liberalized market: Case study of Harare, Zimbabwe

While competitive tendering in urban public transport has been widely applied in the developed world, in many developing countries, particularly Africa, this has not been the case. In Zimbabwe, competitive tendering was identified in 2012 as a tool to address the urban transport challenges emanating from a deregulated urban public transport market. To date, the tendering option has not been implemented. This paper examines the institutional preparedness to bus tendering in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. A mixed-methods research paradigm was used to obtain data and information from three relevant transport stakeholder clusters comprising public, private and academia sectors. The findings of the study have shown that the key stakeholders have a clear understanding of what competitive tendering entails, but implementation is hindered by inter alia lack of infrastructure and support systems, lack of commitment to policy implementation and a reluctance to interfere with the status quo that generates revenue for the economy through both legal and illegal means. The study is of value to other developing countries, particularly Africa, which may draw lessons from the Zimbabwe experiences. The study recommended the need for a detailed diagnostic study to analyse the deep-rooted political and economic factors or pressures that impede a movement from the status quo

Modelling signalised intersection capacity under informal public transport operations : Case study, Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract: This paper provides empirical evidence on the methodological and practical issues when modelling signalised intersections under of informal public transport driver behavioural characteristics. Whilst the minibuses’ (known as kombis in Zimbabwe) physical and dynamical properties is the same with private cars and therefore can be classified as homogenous, their driver behavioural characteristics make it a unique transportation mode with different operational performances as compared to normal private cars. Aggressive driver behaviour and lateral discipline of driving typify such behaviour. Yet there is scarce literature on how this behaviour violates the homogeneity assumption and the methodological issues there from