Abstract
In most developing countries, a significant percentage
of households rely on public transport, specifically
informal minibus taxis. In South Africa, this mode of transport
is more regularly involved in road traffic accidents compared
to other modes. However, very few studies have focused
on analyzing driving in this transportation mode from
the perception of the commuter. In this study, the analysis
is carried out using qualitative (questionnaires) and quantitative
(speed and acceleration) data with the aim of finding
factors that characterize public transportation drivers,
specifically understanding how minibus taxi drivers differ
from other drivers and how the regulatory environment influences
their on-road behavior. The personality and skills
of the drivers are shown to be the two main factors to analyze.
It is shown that minibus taxi drivers perform lower than
ride-hailing drivers. In addition, their driving is more aggressive
in a controlled environment, while it is more reckless
in an uncontrolled environment. Cultural, training, and
technology-oriented actions are suggested to improve the
on-road driving of the minibus taxi in the chosen study area.