Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa

Informal public transport operators often make routing and dispatch decisions on the fly, as demand and traffic conditions change. This may cause highly variable and unpredictable services for passengers. This paper examines variability in spatial coverage, route alignment, and service frequency ove...

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Main Authors: Manaseh Angurini, Christo Venter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Findings Press 2025-03-01
Series:Findings
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.132394
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author Manaseh Angurini
Christo Venter
author_facet Manaseh Angurini
Christo Venter
author_sort Manaseh Angurini
collection DOAJ
description Informal public transport operators often make routing and dispatch decisions on the fly, as demand and traffic conditions change. This may cause highly variable and unpredictable services for passengers. This paper examines variability in spatial coverage, route alignment, and service frequency over time and space using GPS data in a medium-sized city. We propose using a GINI coefficient to measure the spatial concentration of services. While considerable variation exists, consistent high-frequency routes exist where many services are concentrated throughout the day. In lower demand areas service availability and routes vary much more, causing significant variations in service provision by direction.
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issn 2652-8800
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spelling doaj-art-903557d4f05e48e49c2db834b201cf8e2025-08-20T02:51:31ZengFindings PressFindings2652-88002025-03-0110.32866/001c.132394Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South AfricaManaseh AnguriniChristo VenterInformal public transport operators often make routing and dispatch decisions on the fly, as demand and traffic conditions change. This may cause highly variable and unpredictable services for passengers. This paper examines variability in spatial coverage, route alignment, and service frequency over time and space using GPS data in a medium-sized city. We propose using a GINI coefficient to measure the spatial concentration of services. While considerable variation exists, consistent high-frequency routes exist where many services are concentrated throughout the day. In lower demand areas service availability and routes vary much more, causing significant variations in service provision by direction.https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.132394
spellingShingle Manaseh Angurini
Christo Venter
Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
Findings
title Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
title_full Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
title_fullStr Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
title_short Coverage versus Frequency: Exploring Service Variability among Informal Public Transport Operators in South Africa
title_sort coverage versus frequency exploring service variability among informal public transport operators in south africa
url https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.132394
work_keys_str_mv AT manasehangurini coverageversusfrequencyexploringservicevariabilityamonginformalpublictransportoperatorsinsouthafrica
AT christoventer coverageversusfrequencyexploringservicevariabilityamonginformalpublictransportoperatorsinsouthafrica