Towards a Safer Minibus Taxi Industry in South Africa

There are presently about 130 000 minibus taxis on South Africa’s roads. Currently this industry is not fully regulated. The impact of this on the transport system is immense since 65% of all commuter trips are undertaken by minibus taxis. South Africa's roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with accidents claiming the lives of no fewer than 10 000 people every year a large portion of them in taxi related crashes. A study recently done by the Automobile Association of South Africa recorded an annual total of 70 000 minibus taxi crashes which indicates that taxis in SA amount for double the rate of crashes than all other passenger vehicles . Detailed accident data is not available for this category of vehicle, so there is insufficient evidence to support a clear cause for the number of fatalities in minibus taxi accidents . It is apparent that we do not know enough about the causes of many minibus taxi crashes. It is too easy to simply speculate without reviewing all the contributing factors. Any crash results from a combination of circumstances converging to a point where the driver does not have the skills or the options to avoid the crash. Systematic investigation is necessary to identify patterns of failure resulting in a crash. This could be associated with driver behaviour, road conditions or/and vehicle features. Little is known about the various causes of minibus taxi collisions. Unaware commuters continue to board these vehicles, which are under-researched. This paper will examine police records and case studies of minibus taxi accidents to increase knowledge of the factors causing these accidents.