Local transport sector faces digital revolution: from e-hailing to EVs
As 2024 Transport Month draws to an end in South Africa, it is abundantly clear that the future of transportation is transforming.
When Uber was launched in the US in 2011, after a beta launch in 2010, some may have felt it would never work in the South African transport sector.
However, in a very short time after the US launch, Uber proved us wrong and started to operate in South Africa. Some industry players tried to prevent the e-hailing service highlighting the unfairness of the system for those who had to get permits to operate. It was a change that was hard for the local taxi industry to swallow. The local transport industry faces further disruption of the global transition from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EVs).
And the move to driverless cars will yet again transform the transport landscape as we know it.
This 2024 Transport Month in South Africa we witnessed the launch of an EV that is positioned for the minibus taxi industry.
The newly launched EV dubbed, eKamva, is imported from China and will be partly powered by technology developed in South Africa. It’s part of a project spearheaded by a transport technology company, GoMetro under their EV subsidiary, FlxEV.
The project is supported by other partners, including the Stellenbosch University.
A critical element to the operation of EV’s is the infrastructure has to be built for the charging process. For that reason, FlxEV had planned to add charging stations to enable functionality EVs in SA minibus taxi ranks.
Earlier this month Tesla unveiled the CyberCab and RoboTaxi.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Cybercab - a self-driving robotaxi. He also introduced the robovan, which can carry up to 20 people. These prototypes may take a while before the US sees them on their roads.
Once again these changes are often seen as innovations that South Africa may never see on our roads due to the prohibitive cost, among other barriers.
Tesla's vision is a future of transportation without drivers and a service that operates similarly to Uber. Many, however, have questioned the feasibility of driverless taxis. What many are missing, however, is that Tesla has mapped out a future where car manufacturers are also designing ride-share services without selling their vehicles to the consumer market. If other car manufacturers were to adopt the same model, it would change the transportation business.
In the past, the industry reacted late to transport innovation and Uber introduced something that was unexpected. Now the industry has an opportunity to be part of the upcoming technological changes.
This presents an opportunity for partnerships between technology developers and local industry. Those changes may not necessarily deliver what is promised, however, we can be certain technological advancements will affect the local industry.
While technology will bring positive change to local transport players it is important to acknowledge that technology alone will not bring about change. Tech companies ought to find ways of engaging with the industry to enable the smooth implementation of technology. Although Uber brought about an innovation its approach was not respectful of local players. To implement successful technology solutions industries will have to do more to find common ground.
We now know that there’s sufficient technology to create transportation of the future. All that is required is genuine engagement with mutual respect with the future as a final destination.
Wesley Diphoko is a Technology Analyst who has worked at the intersection of technology and media as the Editor-In-Chief of FastCompany (SA) magazine.
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