Civil Engineering September 2021 | Vol 29 No 8

the poor. However, the location of these projects often places people far from centres of economic activity and work opportunities. While consideration is taken to provide the necessary road infra- structure, less effort is made to properly plan the supply of public transport ser- vices, and the majority of sites are initially developed without a public transport facility. The issue of operating permits is not addressed until the area is occupied, thus creating a window of opportunity for illegal operations to be established, which ultimately results in later conflict and sometimes violence between legal and illegal operators. Done right, these issues can be addressed as part of a municipal- ity’s Integrated Transport Plan (ITP). Unfortunately, some municipalities do not have proper ITPs, either due to lack of knowledge or lack of capacity. THE WAY FORWARD The transport sector is changing. This affects all stakeholders including com- muters, operators and planning authorities. With Covid-19 many people lost their jobs or adapted to working and studying from home. The associated changes in travel patterns and commuter concerns about safety can be expected to impact on South Africa’s goal of becoming a mass transit so- ciety. In addition, developing technologies like e-hailing offer commuters new travel alternatives. While questions can be raised about the legality of such operations, these technologies also provide opportunity for existing and new operators. OUR COMMITMENT Siyazi, together with other transport planning experts, has been working as an advisor to municipalities and operators for the implementation of IRPTNs since 2012. Through these engagements, significant strides have been made in improving col- laboration between government and public transport operators. These steps have shown that a lot can be achieved through consulta- tion and collaboration. This includes the empowerment of operators to recognise and take advantage of opportunities rather than feeling threatened by change. In Mbombela, operators have embraced new technologies and launched their own, legally operating, e-hailing service called Ingwe. Siyazi’s application development team assisted the industry in developing the application and the service, launched in December 2020, provides an example of how new technologies can be adopted while complying with NLTA regulations. Transportation planning and traffic engineering professionals need to adapt to changing patterns in the transport sector. With over two decades of experience, Siyazi is committed to using its expertise and understanding of historical and cur- rent local conditions to provide its clients with advice and solutions that prepare them for the future. Siyazi has developed in-house ap- plications to help develop and execute transport plans effectively and efficiently. The company’s survey applications, developed with in-depth understanding of engineering principles, have helped analyse public transport operations and assess the value of routes. With experience in the planning and design of systems and infrastructure as well as the understanding of operators’ pressures and needs, Siyazi is best positioned and equipped to serve the best objectives to achieve an integrated and effective public transport system for users, operators, and investors. Siyazi continues to share its skills and knowledge with operators and officials, teaching them about the NLTA and its regulations. For more information Sias Oosthuizen CEO: Siyazi +27 12 343 6259 sias@siyazi.co.za www.siyazi.co.za Civil Engineering September 2021 7 Ingwe is the first South African e-hailing service with operating licences as required by the NLTA Siyazi has donated sanitiser to protect commuters and drivers at minibus taxi ranks from the coronavirus Siyazi uses mobile applications to accurately collect and effectively analyse public transport and traffic count data