Urban Public Transport: Alternatives For Improving Bus Operations in Windhoek

ABSTRACT

The transport sector is the backbone of the development of all sectors of the economy and in the promotion of mobility. Soon after independence, the Ministry of Works and Transport, the custodian for the transport sector was tasked with a number of issues needing redressing. This includes the deregulation of the operators’ transport sub-sector. The Government of Namibia made a decision in 1995 to deregulate road transport, in particular, long-distance bus operation, bus operation and taxis in urban areas. Through deregulation, the transport business was to open up and allow wider participation for all citizens. The White Paper believe that with the formulation of the new legislation to replace the then existing legislation there would be an increase in the supply of bus operation; while in urban areas, services to areas with no access to bus service would improve through the replacement of large buses with mini buses. The aim of the study was to find out the extent to which transport policy has been implemented regarding bus operation in urban areas, looking at Windhoek as a case study. The overall objective was to investigate legislation and policies regulating public transport and their implementation status. The activities undertaken were to review policies in place, consult with the stakeholders to understand the implementation process. The investigation was guided by two theories of policy implementation; the Interactive Model and the Theory-Driven Impact Evaluation. This paper finds that deregulation was iii partly implemented, favouring the long distance bus operation and taxis in urban areas. The objective to deregulate large buses in urban areas is not yet attained. For Windhoek residents, public transport means poor bus service characterised by irregular bus provision, delays at traffic signals, overloading, too many taxis and too few facilities for these modes. Stakeholders meet on an occasional basis, and when even they do, resolutions are sometimes not implemented for reasons that this study has not explored. In order to improve implementation, stakeholders must embark on an interactive process of implementation and develop operative goals for the laws formulated. This is important to improve implementation and to prevent a situation where policies are left as they were. As Windhoek experiences severe limitations in the upgrading of the road network, it is important to seriously consider the application of Travel Demand Management in its entirety, since this has been proven successful in many cities in enhancing bus operation.