The minibus taxi industry has adopted technologies that improve administrative efficiency and enhance fleet management.
South Africa’s mini bus taxi industry is increasingly advancing towards digital and greener solutions to gain greater efficiency, while increasing financial inclusion and safety for commuters.
This was the word from Mmatshikhidi Rebecca Phala, national spokesperson for South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), delivering a keynote presentation at the recent Smarter Mobility Africa 2025 Summit under the theme: “Shaping the Future of Transport through Technology and Collaboration”.
The gathering in Johannesburg saw transport leaders from across the continent come together to discuss the pivotal role of e-mobility in shaping African cities and economies.
Phala acknowledged the challenges faced by the taxi industry, such as violence and regulatory issues, and emphasised Santaco’s proactive steps toward innovation and collaboration.
She emphasised the industry’s commitment to creating a smarter, greener, and safer future for all by embracing smart technologies and green energy solutions, including electric vehicles, telematics, passenger counting sensors, data analytics and data collection and operational insights tools.
“Santaco has a vision and commitment to see a future that is defined as smarter, greener and safer for all South Africans and Africans. We are here not only as taxi operators but as key architects of national development,” explained Phala.
“In 2020, we converged as Santaco alongside government at the historic government National Taxi Lekgotla. It was at that gathering that we resolved a number of resolutions for the betterment of South Africans who rely on our services on the daily basis. We resolved to unlock value chain opportunities that will drive B-BBEE [Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment] and we resolved to embrace modern technologies that will modernise fare collections and improve fleet management.
“We have also resolved to join the global movement towards embracing green energy and significantly improve our carbon footprint. Since the Lekgotla, Santaco has not rested, we’ve adopted technologies that improve administrative efficiency, and enhance fleet management. We’ve also adopted tracking tools and systems to gain speed and efficiency.”
These technologies, she continued, have helped to formalise the mini bus taxi industry to align its operations with the labour legislation and ensure that the industry’s drivers and workers are afforded salaries, job security and benefits that respect their dignity.
These have also helped to advance labour law compliance and to ensure the backbone of the taxi industry can now enjoy the dignity of stable employment, she added.
“We’ve gone as far as travelling to countries like China, those within the United Nations, to learn about e-mobility solutions such as clean energy, electric vehicles, and the future of transportation. These engagements have not only informed us but they have inspired us and reminded us that while our challenges may be unique, our aspirations are global.
“We are not afraid to lead and evolve. For us, mobility connects South Africans to opportunities while reaching areas that could have been ignored. We have also resolved to train and professionalise our workforce for better service delivery. Advanced route optimisation, and data analytics – which are no longer futuristic concepts but functional tools that are important for our operations – have also been deployed.”
The adoption and continued testing of cashless and automated fair payment solutions has helped to not only promote safety for passengers, but also to provide accountability and financial inclusion for taxi operators, she noted.
Last October, South Africa’s first electric minibus taxi, dubbed eKamva, was announced and was expected to hit the road this year.
The electric taxi was launched by a partnership of companies and research institutions, led by GoMetro, a transport technology platform.
Visa’s innovative ticketing solutions were another focal point at the summit, demonstrating how technology can simplify and enhance the user experience in public transport. By streamlining payment systems, these solutions promise to make public transport more accessible and efficient for all users.
