(University of the Witwatersrand; Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016) Godsell, Abigail Elizabeth
This research report develops a case study of the local and long distance Tembisa-Pretoria Taxi Association (TEPTA), in the context of the dearth of specific transport planning research on taxi associations and the shortfalls of planning knowledge on the taxi industry in general.
Data collected from qualitative unstructured interviews with key members of the association build up a picture of nature and operation of this taxi association and its four facets: as a small business collective, as the local level of organisation of the taxi industry, as a collection of routes and as a community custodian.
These observations are then used to question and challenge the existing way we as transport planners see taxis and associations, and its gaps, such as the omission of the highly regulated and recorded nature of the taxi industry. It explores the implications these challenges have for the transport planning profession in South Africa.