Behind the Wheel: Exploring the World of Public Transport Drivers and Perspectives of Passengers at Bosman Taxi Rank, Pretoria, South Africa

Sidumo Khoza ORCID iD , Dee Khosa ORCID iD  & Adewale Olutola ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol.5  No.11 Issue Article 7 pp.1711-1720
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245117 | Published online 5th September, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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The purpose of this study was to improve commuter safety in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry. It is a vital component of the nation’s transportation network that is plagued by road safety concerns due to driver behaviour. A quantitative research approach involving 150 respondents selected through probability sampling was utilised. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaires at Bosman Taxi Rank in Pretoria, Gauteng province, and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study’s findings revealed severe safety issues faced by public transport passengers, including fatalities and injuries resulting from unsafe practices by minibus taxi drivers. It also highlighted systemic shortcomings in traffic law enforcement, particularly during weekends, which are exacerbated by drivers operating under the influence of alcohol. Recommendations include professionalising the minibus taxi sector, enhancing collaboration between traffic law enforcement agencies and the taxi industry, revising remuneration structures for National Traffic Police officers, establishing passenger-centric organisations, centralising traffic law enforcement mechanisms, improving driver employment conditions, and conducting public road safety awareness workshops. This study contributes to scholarship by providing empirical evidence on the safety challenges within the minibus taxi industry and proposing comprehensive measures to address these issues, ultimately striving for a safer transportation environment for all commuters in South Africa.

Keywords: Commuter Safety, Minibus Taxi Sector, Public Transportation, Road Safety, South Africa

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Mr. Sidumo Khoza holds a Master’s Degree in Policing from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). His research investigated ‘public transport drivers’ perceptions of passengers’.  He is a seasoned research practitioner with years of experience in the road safety field. He is a Lecturer at Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). Some of the modules he lectures includes Road Safety Education & Road Safety Systems; Administrative Adjudication of Traffic Offences (AARTO); Project and Programme Management and Road Maintenance, design, and related principles. He is a Road Safety Auditor and Road Safety-related learning material developer. He served as a panelist at Youth for Road Safety (YOURS) hosted by RTMC (2020). He is currently responsible for National Rollout of AARTO focusing on Train-The-Trainer of road traffic law enforcement. has conducted training to personnel of Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) on general legislation of AARTO (2024). Mr Khoza authored a book titled ‘A Father My Dad Made’. He is a speaker, mentor, leadership coach, assessor and moderator.

Prof. Dee Khosa is a young hardworking academic professional who always aspires to accomplish goals by gaining knowledge and insight into opportunities presented.  She holds qualifications in: Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in Police Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a National Diploma: Public Management from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Her fields of study and expertise are in Policing and related sciences. The dynamics of gender sensitivity have found particular prominence in her studies. She is a recipient of Emerging Researcher and Woman Researcher of the Year 2021. She has presented and peer-reviewed research papers at both national and international conferences. Prof. Khosa also serves on various institutional committees, including the highest governing body, the Senate. She was a member of the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee (TLERC), appointed by the Minister of Transport from 2016-2020. She is currently appointed a non-executive director by the Minister of Transport at Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) since August 2020 to date.

Prof. Adewale Olutola is an Advocate of Law (Nigeria) and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law, Safety and Security Management, Faculty of Humanities of Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa). He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association. Adewale Olutola was a Council and Editorial board member of Victimological and Criminological Society of Africa (2018 2020-2024). He has to his credit several peered reviewed conference papers, presented both at national and international conferences. Double-blind reviewed articles (publications) in accredited/non-accredited journals and chapters in different books. He is a regular reviewer for many scholarly/accredited blind review journals in the Africa continent and globally. He has lectured more than twenty different undergraduate subjects, and many have graduated in their Masters and Doctoral degrees under his supervision.

Khoza, Sidumo, Dee Khosa & Adewale Olutola. “Behind the Wheel: Exploring the World of Public Transport Drivers and Perspectives of Passengers at Bosman Taxi Rank, Pretoria, South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.11 (2024): 1711-1720. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245117

© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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