The recent announcement of the launch of a new one-stop travel information portal (www.findyourway2010.co.za) by Minister of Transport Sibusiso Ndebele has sought to dispel the fears of visiting spectators that public transport in 2010 Fifa World Cup host cities will not be a viable and customer-friendly travel alternative to the private motor car.
It is widely accepted that transport will be one of the key factors on which visitors will judge the success of the World Cup. But for any public transport system to contribute successfully, it is imperative that accurate, relevant and timely information about transport options is disseminated effectively to visiting spectators.
With just over 60 days to the opening match of the World Cup, there is an urgent need to standardise formal transport information and, ideally, incorporate the informal sector. This would involve paper or interactive maps (that is, electronic media) to enable visitors to locate themselves in relation to tourist landmarks, public transport routes, stations and networks.
From the visiting public transport user’s perspective, inaccurate information is worse than no information — dependability and reliability are more important than flashy high-tech solutions.
Overseas visitors to this country usually do not use public transport. And several tourist information guides and websites on South Africa speak disparagingly about public transport options. Or they omit them entirely: the Getting Around webpage of the official South African Tourism website (www.southafrica.net) does not mention commuter rail systems (that is, Metrorail) as an option, for example. The minimal use made of public transport systems in South Africa by international visitors may partly be related to their pre-arrival perceptions, in particular, of crime.
In 2003 a United States study explored customer preferences for using public transport instead of a private motor vehicle. The study involved collecting data from 284 individuals by questionnaires and group interviews to ascertain what they considered as essential information for online pre-trip planning for unfamiliar public transport trips. Timetables, system maps, identification of the nearest boarding/alighting point and the number of transfers required were the top four information needs to make a trip using public transport.
Judging by the Findyourway2010 site as it is now, it could be a challenge to access these key information needs quickly. Links to street maps are good, but if such maps do not permit route planning they may be of little use to the visiting spectator.
There are no publicly available integrated route maps superimposed on street maps that would enable some of the information essentials to be fulfilled simultaneously. And a visiting spectator phoning the national call centre for help may be tempted to respond: “Don’t tell me that I need to take bus number 14 — tell me how I get to the nearest boarding point, when the next bus is, how long will it take to complete my journey and will I get to the match on time?”
Matches will be played in nine cities. As fans follow their teams, each new venue city will bring with it new public transport challenges. It will be unfortunate if supporters become concerned and frustrated about their travelling safety and refrain from travelling around the country to follow matches.
As each team progresses through the tournament, supporters may be faced with new venue cities requiring them to make immediate travel decisions (due to factors such as ticket constraints and seat availability). Internet and wireless technologies in particular can meet these needs. A significant proportion of international visitors at the tournament will consider these technologies the basic tools necessary to facilitate pre-trip planning in a perceived “Third World” transport environment.
Accurate pre-trip planning information will be pivotal for all travellers, especially when travel takes place outside peak demand or peak frequency periods and to and from venue stadiums situated in cities off the typical tourist circuit.
The presence of formal and informal transport networks in South Africa produces yet another challenge in the provision and accessibility of pre-trip planning information. Seamless travel between modes is not possible if information about available modes is not coordinated. In particular, the lack of information on the informal transport system could be a serious impediment to its effective engagement in the World Cup. Minibus taxis are intended to fulfil a significant proportion of spectators’ public transport needs, but international visitors are likely to want to be assured by a formal information resource that these taxis will be available when they want them.
Dr Oliver Page is a faculty researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. From 1997 to 2002 he was a senior researcher at the CSIR/Transportek in Pretoria. This article updates the paper he and Mathetha Mokonyama of the CSIR/Built Environment presented at the Southern African Transport Conference in 2008