The City of Johannesburg hosted a three-day C40 workshop as an opportunity to showcase the Rea Vaya BRT-minibus taxi integration and inspire participating cities. Transport leaders from Freetown, Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Tshwane, and Accra gathered in Johannesburg in search of pathways to reforming and transforming the informal public transport sector. Also in attendance was the City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport, Cllr Kenny Kunene, who says: “We are committed to transforming the city’s public transport system into a people-centred one and we recognise that engagement with and improvement of the minibus taxi industry is a key contributor for achieving this vision and for reducing inequality and creating sustainable green jobs.”

​MMC Kunene also notes that minibus taxis account for around 72% of the city’s total public transport share and although the challenge is huge, the city will continue to work to make the city of Johannesburg a global model for people-centric and zero-emissions public transport.

The workshop created new peer-to-peer networks for cities to access support and knowledge on the question of paratransit/informal transport reform and bus modernisation.

Other key learnings highlighted during the workshop included considering inclusive and integrated informal public transport reforms that can improve air quality, work conditions, road safety, create green jobs and foster inclusive cities.

“Reforms should target not just the operators and workers in the conditions but also commuters. Good public transport is about more than just efficient operations and contracting. It’s also about the out of vehicle experience, the infrastructure of public transport interchanges, pedestrian and commuter facilities and designing attractive systems for users,” says MMC Kunene.

Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph