Location technology can transform South Africa’s transport system – but don’t expect to see self-driving cars on our roads any time soon. What’s more relevant is the need for the public and private sectors to work together more closely to unlock the significant social and economic benefits that more efficient transport and mobility systems would bring to the country, including less congestion and fewer road accidents.
That was the message from Michael Bültmann, Managing Director in charge of international relations at HERE Technologies, a global leader in mapping and location platform services. He was speaking at an event hosted by the international law firm Covington & Burling in Johannesburg, to discuss how digitisation could support better mobility, safety and integration in South Africa.
“Society needs to solve some fundamental challenges, and relevant location data can play a key role in creating a better future for mobility in South Africa,” said Bültmann.
“If we know where the goods and people are, and how and why they move, we have the basis for a system that matches demand and supply far more closely and uses our transport infrastructure more efficiently. But no company, government or individual can do it all themselves.
“It’s all about collaborating. If we get real-time data use right, it would have a profound effect on the way the entire economy works – less congestion, fewer accidents, more efficient use of vehicles and public transport, less air pollution, greater quality of life, and potential savings of billions of rands in fuel, time and safer roads.”
Speaking at the event, the CSIR’s Dr Mathetha Mokonyama said that despite the billions of rands pumped into the country’s mass public transport network in recent years, 90% of commuter seats available are still provided by either cars or taxis.
“We have the right to dignity,” he said.
“If you want to see indignity, look at people getting up at 2am to get unreliable transport to a job that only pays R3500 a month. In our country, access to transport is critical for people to make a living, and our focus as a country should be to implement an equitable and just transport system that caters to all sectors of society.”
Robert Kayihura, senior advisor in Covington’s Johannesburg office, said that it was a pleasure to support the event that brought together so many viewpoints on the question of the effective use of data and location intelligence to enhance the mobility of goods, people and services.
“While the harmonisation of regulatory regimes around the continent will take time, a key takeaway from our discussions is the critical need to build a shared vision of the future through consistent public-private dialogue and collaboration in order to accelerate and ensure the sustainable and safe digitisation of Africa,” he said.
Paul Vorster, the Chief Executive of the Intelligent Transport Society of SA (ITSSA), said the effective sharing of data between metros, government and the private sector would ‘go a long way’ to improving the efficiency of existing transport infrastructure.
“The starting point is to improve what we already have,” he said.
“Once we know what we have – that is, data – we can start solving real problems, like knowing where the demand and supply are. But to do this, metros will need to learn from each other, and they often face political hurdles in the process.”
Bültmann added that increasing levels of urbanisation across the world were creating the need for cities to better predict, manage and plan future urban movement. Combining and analysing data from different, complementary sources could help South African cities to improve urban planning, relieve congestion and curb pollution for better quality of life.
The event was also attended by Presidential Investment Envoy Phumzile Langeni, the National Planning Commission’s Themba Dlamini; SANRAL’s Alan Robinson; and Dr Rüdiger Lotz, the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy. The guests were welcomed by Witney Schneidman, the head of Covington’s Africa practice and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the U.S. Government.
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