On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, China. ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the causative agent of what we now know as ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19). Since then, the virus has spread to more than 100 countries, including South Africa. Emergency Hotline: 0800 029 999 WhatsApp Support Line: 0600-123456
Abidjan Metropolitan Transport Authority Study Tour to Cape Town
July 21, 2022 / by Nico McLachlan / paratransit, Public Transport, South Africa, Urban Mobility
In July 2022 ODA as a corporate member of CODTAU co-facilitated the Abidjan Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMUGA) study tour to Cape Town.
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Good news stories on the path to paratransit reform in African cities
August 3, 2021 / by Nico McLachlan / Kampala Public Transport, Kigali Rwanda, paratransit, paratransit, Public Transport, Public Transport, South Africa, Urban Mobility
By Nico Mc Lachlan Over the past decade there have been significant positive changes that will allow the paratransit sector to play a more constructive role in shaping the future of urban mobility in Sub-Saharan African cities. A brief reflection on four cases that may point us to the way forward In South Africa much […]
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The paratransit sector as a partner in change
August 2, 2021 / by Nico McLachlan / paratransit, Public Transport, Uncategorized
By Nico Mc Lachlan The biggest challenge faced by the paratransit sector in the cities of the global south is the self- reinforcing view of the public and those in positions of authority of a sector built on lawlessness, exploitation, overtrading, criminality and a propensity to resort to violence as a means of dealing with […]
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Rwandan Government introduces 29.3bn Rwandan Franc subsidy to ease the burden on hard pressed public transport service providers
February 16, 2021 / by Aimee / Kigali Rwanda, Public Transport
The New Times in Rwanda on 11 February 2021 leads with the good news that the Rwandan government has allocated a subsidy of 29.3 bn Rwandan Franc (RWF) in the 2021 financial year as a relief payment to hard pressed public transport operators. Under the now extended COVID–19 regulations, Rwandan public transport operators are required […]
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ODA appointed to work with Transitec Consulting Engineers and GLI on the Ghana Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project
January 26, 2021 / by Aimee / paratransit, Public Transport, Urban Mobility / 0 comments
ODA appointed to work on Ghana Urban Mobility Project by Swiss firm Transitec.
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Cape Town Public Transport Experts Share Their Experience with Kampala Delegation
December 20, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / Kampala Public Transport, paratransit, Public Transport, South Africa, Urban Mobility
During the week of 7 – 11 December 2020 Cape Town based Public Transport specialists Organisation Development Africa (ODA) and their Swiss partners Transitec hosted a delegation of government officials from the Ugandan Ministry of Works and Transport, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the six main minibus taxi associations in Kampala. The study […]
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The Case for Investment in the Minibus Taxi Industry in South Africa
October 5, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / paratransit, Public Transport, South Africa, Urban Mobility
It is not easy to make the case for investment in the South African minibus taxi industry, especially if your dinner guests are mostly private car users who have some time or another been at the receiving end of the antics of a minibus taxi driver on the N2 outgoing in peak hour traffic. The […]
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How to restructure the minibus taxi industry in South Africa
September 11, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / paratransit, Public Transport, Urban Mobility
By Nico McLachlan and David Schmidt In a recent blog post we made the case for a systemic approach to restructuring the minibus taxi industry. At the height of South Africa’s hard lockdown, we also looked at three post– lockdown travel demand recovery scenarios and predicted that the recovery of passenger demand would not be […]
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Consider a systemic relief package for the minibus taxi industry
June 17, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / paratransit, Public Transport
In the past week or two news broke that Johannesburg minibus owners are planning to increase fares on local (commuter) routes by up to 25%. Some reactions from within government were that this is inconsiderate given the hardship that public transport users are already dealing with during COVID–19 Lockdown. Industry leaders on the other hand […]
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Shifting from office-based to working from home is more complicated than sending employees home with laptops
May 8, 2020 / by Aimee / Remote working, Working from home
Know your teams and members The writing appears to be on the wall. “Working from home”, especially for professional staff and office workers will become part of the new normal that follows on post Covid-19 lockdown measures worldwide. While organisations might have used the pre-lockdown and lockdown period to make sure they have the required […]
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Saving lives while securing livelihoods: Limiting access to the available means of mobility is devastating to the poor
April 30, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / Public Transport, Urban Mobility
Striking the balance between saving lives and securing livelihoods has been at the centre of the governments’ response to the COVID–19 Pandemic. As part of the focus on saving lives, (and preventing health system overrun), strict measures pertaining to travel on public transport modes have been imposed and will probably prevail for some time to […]
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Post lockdown travel demand in South Africa – three plausible futures to prepare for
April 22, 2020 / by Nico McLachlan / Public Transport
Background Public Transport Operators (including paratransit operators in the cities of the global south) have been severely impacted by COVID – 19 related lockdown measures that saw economic activity (and therefore travel demand) been reduced to variations on the definition of ‘’essential service workers’’. Anecdotal evidence put forward by formal bus and paratransit / minibus […]
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COVID-19 and the Impact on Public Transport
March 19, 2020 / by Aimee / Public Transport, Urban Mobility
The Coronavirus, COVID-19, is increasingly having an impact on the way people conduct their daily lives. Public transport is just one of the areas that is being severely impacted through travel bans, the avoidance of public gatherings and self isolation measures. In most regions the use of public transport is not prohibited so the best […]
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Improving the Standard Owner Target Paratransit Business Model in South Africa
February 27, 2020 / by Aimee / Public Transport, Urban Mobility
Written by Naidine Daniels The paratransit (minibus taxi) sector provides up to 65% of commuters in the main South African cities with reliable and affordable public transport. The sector forms the backbone of the informal economy in urban settings and provides job opportunities to many who have difficulty accessing the formal job market. Most governments […]
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