An intervention framework to enhance commuter road safety within the minibus taxi industry in Sedibeng District Municipality

Abstract

Road traffic injuries resulting in deaths are a global crisis affecting vulnerable road users and commuters. The alarming statistics on road accidents, according to the World Health Organization's road safety status reports, disproportionately affect many countries' socio-economic conditions. Africa as a whole and South Africa specifically, have a high incidence of road accidents. Public transportation plays a central role and accounts for a higher proportion of usage compared to private vehicles. Among the various modes of public transport, the minibus taxi industry was identified for study in South Africa's Sedibeng District Municipality. Statistics reveal that commuter road safety has not been adequately prioritised within the taxi industry in this region. The central objective of this study is to identify and examine factors that contribute to road accidents involving the minibus taxi industry, with the focus on commuter safety in Sedibeng District Municipality (SDM). The study also intended to draw an intervention framework that will enhance commuter road safety within the minibus taxi industry. This study employed a hybrid analytics approach emanating specifically from qualitative research designs. The researcher employed a descriptive research design to gather a sample of participants using a non-probability convenience sampling strategy. This sampling strategy was utilised to identify relevant and appropriate minibus taxi industry stakeholders for semi-structured interviews. The primary outcomes of the investigation reveal shortcomings in regulations governing the minibus taxi industry. Traffic rules are frequently violated with speeding, reckless driving, drunk driving and traffic officers' bribery and corruption among the key contributing factors to road traffic accidents. Furthermore, road infrastructure was identified as a contributing factor to the high rates of road accidents in the region. The majority of participants identified lack of commitment to road safety, which is a significant contributing factor to road accidents, in essence, the failure of the SDM office to intervene. Another significant contributing element was the presence of malfunctioning traffic signals, which was widely acknowledged as a causative factor in road collisions. The results demonstrated that most participants concurred that a significant portion of the taxi drivers on the road were not suitable to share the road with other drivers, leading to the elevated occurrence of road traffic fatalities. The situation requires urgent attention. Recommendations were made in line with the enhancement of commuter road safety through the application of total quality management (TQM) principles. The researcher has offered an intervention framework that stems from TQM, which is underpinned by system theory derived from TQM scholars. However, this framework was adapted to suit the minibus taxi industry as an organisation.