Information gaps in Cape Town's public transport inconveniences many — study

If you are a public transport user in Cape Town and you are going to an interview or important meeting, you are more likely not to make it on time or safely due to information gaps in the city’s transport system that make it difficult to navigate. 

According to a new study by the University of Cape Town, while it’s easy for ordinary motorists to turn on their navigation systems and visit new and unfamiliar parts of Cape Town, this is not so easy for those dependent on public transport due to constraints in crucial information such as routes, exact fare or real-time arrival and departure information. 

The study, titled Enabling Equitable Access to Public Transport Information to Enhance Hybrid System Use in Cape Town, South Africa, found that none of the information types desired are currently available across all modes — MyCiTi, Golden Arrow, Metrorail and minibus taxis.  

“Most glaringly missing from current transport information sources was the demand for safety information related to on-board, waiting at a station or stop, and walking to a station or stop. Both male and female captive public transport users desired safety information,” said lead researcher Bianca Ryseck who did the study as part of her PhD studies. 

In trying to come to a better understanding of how information and communications technology such as mobile phones could be used to help captive public transport users to plan non-routine journeys using both scheduled and unscheduled public transport, Ryseck embarked on a study to unravel this problem. 

Captive public transport users are individuals who do not have a travel choice but public transit. Ryseck said even though captive public transport users in Cape Town specifically desired exact fare and real-time arrival and departure time information, they were satisfied with estimated frequencies only.   

“While the majority of captive users have access to internet-capable smartphones, access to mobile data affordability continues to be a large hurdle to using phones to access internet-based services,” she said. 

In contrast to the abundance of public transport options available in the city, information on these options is scarce. 

Of the information that users could find, it was not all integrated in a single source, compelling them to do “piecemeal planning”. 

“A bit of information might come through their social networks, another piece from an online web search, and perhaps more information from asking the driver directly. Without a single information source, it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to pre-plan a public transport journey across Cape Town,” Ryseck said. 

Furthermore, the kind of technology introduced tended to be based on European and North American understandings of public transport information technology.  

Ryseck said there had been attempts to collect data on public transport, especially the minibus taxi routes, “but those efforts have struggled to materialise into information sources that users could reliably turn to plan their journeys”. 

“Information gaps of public transport can severely constrain a person's ability to reach various opportunities in the city, whether that be getting to a job interview in time, meeting with friends on the weekend, or exploring new places.” 

Given the latest findings, the study cautioned that information and communication technology (ICT) solutions should avoid communicating information in only transport-specific formats, like route maps. “The combination of gaps in information provision and lack of adequate information communication mediums hinders captive users’ ability to plan integrated journeys, and consequently limits their access to opportunities through public transport. 

“The study helped to illuminate what information public transport users need to plan journeys using Cape Town's varied mix of services. Notably, and unsurprisingly, it underlined just how crucial safety information is to users and has been severely under-addressed.

“The survey of self-reported technological capabilities also revealed key insights like the significant impact of mobile data costs on users' abilities to access online information. There may be more value in communicating information via chatbots or similar over traditional transport formats like route maps.”

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