An analysis of impediments to deliver sustainable transport in cities of the developing countries : the case of Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract: Africa is urbanizing at a rapid rate. The rapid rise in population coupled with constrained real economic growth has created unintended consequences impacting on the economy, social fabric and the environment. Ironically, as the urban population grows, the provision of services has declined. For instance, the formal public transport that was dominant in many African cities has disappeared. The twin factors of increasing population and the dearth of conventional public transport have stimulated the growth of informal public transport, which has become the major form of public transport in many countries. Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, exhibits these characteristics which are common in most cities. Public transport is the preserve of the informal sector. The informal public transport sector continues to grow and the city’s main urban public space is increasingly more congested; impeding rather than facilitating the urban population’s ability to access the required social and economic services. A clear mismatch between the demand for traffic space and its availability is evident. The need to provide a sustainable urban transport system cannot be overemphasised. Sustainability creates and maintains conditions under which society can cope and viably support livelihood requirements. The key stakeholders in Zimbabwe have agreed on the need to craft a sustainable urban transport system in Harare. Notwithstanding this agreement, there is no indication of addressing the challenges and the transport system is deteriorating. The paper assesses the impediments to the realisation of a sustainable urban transport system which is vital for economic growth

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

Cross-departmental collaboration in strategic sourcing as a catalyst for supplier development : the case of Eskom

Abstract: The objective was to analyse the integration of and collaboration between strategic sourcing and supplier development at Eskom, South Africa’s primary electricity supplier, and to determine how strategic sourcing can be a catalyst for supplier development. Problem investigated: To address fragmented and inefficient procurement, Eskom instituted two departments, Commodity Sourcing (CS), to drive strategic sourcing, and Supplier Development and Localisation (SD&L), to drive supplier development. The problem is that collaboration between CS and SD&L has not materialised and thus their mandates have not been entirely achieved. Research design: A case study research design was employed, drawing from multiple sources of data to triangulate findings. Managers from two departments, CS and SD&L, were separately surveyed, while face-to-face interviews were conducted with executive management. Results: The findings revealed a lack of planning, implementation and monitoring of supplier development in the strategic sourcing process of CS. Although the procurement spend in CS is used to drive supplier development objectives, from the perspective of SD&L, in practice this does not fully materialise..

Travel patterns and challenges experienced by University of Johannesburg off-campus students

When universities across the world emerged, the majority of students were provided with oncampus accommodation. However, with the increase in the number of universities, students seeking to enter universities and the decline in university funding, the result was an increase in the number of students residing off-campus. This lead to more limited social-contact opportunities with other students, which are vital for the enhancement of their learning and development. It also resulted in off-campus students spending a considerable amount of time travelling to and from university. This study aimed to investigate the travel patterns, characteristics and challenges faced by University of Johannesburg off-campus students by ascertaining inter alia: the means of transport used; travel time; the views of students in regard to the challenges they face; and possible improvements thereto. A quantitative approach was predominantly used to collect data from students by means of a questionnaire and this was supplemented with focus group discussions on two campuses. The study results revealed that off-campus students experience considerable challenges accessing campuses

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

Driver pretesting system in Zimbabwe: An analysis of impacts and perceptions

In pursuance of the need to curb corruption in the learner driver testing process as well as enhancing road safety by improving driving skills, the Minister of Transport and Communications in Zimbabwe announced, on 7 July 2007, a new and unique drivertesting procedure which was implemented with effect from 1 September 2007. The new system involved the introduction of a pretesting agent acting between driving schools and the driver competence-testing department. A wholly Government-owned company was given the responsibility to pretest all learner drivers before they proceeded to the final competence test. The objective of this paper is to assess the impacts of driver pretesting on pass rates as well as ascertaining stakeholder and public views and perceptions on corruption, the necessity for driver pretesting and the lessons learnt

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

Tuk-tuk, ‘new kid on the block’ in Johannesburg: Operational and user travel characteristics, competition and impacts

The three-wheeler tuk-tuk, popular in Asian cities is now a common feature in many cities worldwide, across all five continents. Their growth has been attributed to their distinctive flexibility, stylistic simplicity and modest operational costs. In Johannesburg, the tuk-tuk represents a relatively new mode of public transport which stemmed from suggestions made by the local area residents association and other stakeholders to revamp the neighbourhood. The objective of the paper is to determine the operational and user travel characteristics of tuk-tuks as well as assessing their impacts. In Johannesburg, where competition from private transport operators can result in serious confrontation, the paper ascertains whether tuktuks pose a threat to other operators. Data was collected through telephonic interviews and electronic questionnaires. The results reveal that the tuk-tuk has filled a public transport gap by providing a much needed ‘first mile’/‘last mile’ service to community members

The Johannesburg negotiated bus rapid transit contract : how has it benefitted the stakeholders?

Abstract: Background: In 2009 and 2013, the Transport Department, City of Johannesburg, negotiated with taxi operators and introduced the bus rapid transit (BRT) initiative on two routes. The protracted negotiations culminated into the displacement of approximately 900 minibuses on the two routes replaced by the BRT system. The mechanism used was to negotiate with the minibus taxi operators and compensate them for surrendering their vehicles that gave way for the BRT buses. Objectives: The objective of this article is to ascertain how the City of Johannesburg, taxi operators and drivers benefitted from the implementation of the BRT system. Method: A mixed-methods research paradigm was used. Quantitative data were collected from operators and drivers on how their skills and welfare have changed as a result of the implementation of the BRT initiative. Unstructured questionnaires were used to obtain qualitative data from the Transport Department, City of Johannesburg, and from nine taxi associations’ representatives. Results: The results revealed that there were considerable benefits that accrued to the former taxi operators as well as drivers. Former minibus taxi operators and drivers’ welfare have improved. They have also gained knowledge and skills in operating the formal public transport system. The benefits were, however, at the expense of the City of Johannesburg. Conclusion: Notwithstanding taxi operators’ reservations, their participation was beneficial. The study focused solely on the benefits to the key stakeholders of the negotiated contract without addressing costs that have contributed to those benefits. Future research needs to undertake a comprehensive study that addresses both costs and benefits to determine whether these benefits are not at the expense of exorbitant costs