Aphiwe Hlophe
| Ayodeji Afolayan | Olawande Daramola*
© 2024 The authors. This article is published by IIETA and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
OPEN ACCESS
Decision-making while commuting in big cities is still challenging for many citizens in developing countries. The implementation of diverse transportation modes operating in silos combined with the inaccessibility of real-time travel information prevents commuters from these countries from making informed travel decisions. Commuters often have to choose the specific means of transport that will yield the highest value in terms of cost, safety, convenience, and timeliness among alternatives. This paper uses a case study of Cape Town in South Africa to explore stakeholders' perspectives on implementing an integrated real-time information system (IRIS) and the requirements that must be satisfied. We employed a qualitative methodology, utilising semi-structured interviews and co-design sessions as the means of data collection. Four categories of stakeholders associated with transportation, including taxis, trains, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and municipal buses, within the context of South Africa, participated in the study. The findings reveal that the commuters and the public transport operators agreed that challenges around socio-traffic incidents, infrastructure development, lack of technology resources and lack of real-time travel information are major concerns that must be addressed for successful IRIS implementation. Functional features, change management, data privacy, system integration and information sharing were the main priorities on the list of requirements. The study represents a first attempt at understanding the requirements of an IRIS from the stakeholders' perspective in the context of South Africa. It extends the discussion on using IRIS to support transportation in developing countries, which has received limited attention thus far in the literature. The study is relevant for developing futuristic policies, advanced infrastructure, and optimised service delivery in developing countries because it provides a good foundation for understanding the critical requirements for the design and development of IRIS.
integrated information systems, real-time information system, requirements elicitation, public commuting, stakeholder analysis, cape town, qualitative research, transport decision making
Cities are becoming more compact due to rapid urbanisation and changes to land-use policies. Increased pressure is placed on public transport systems worldwide due to increased urbanisation and motorisation. Efficient and sustainable urban mobility is the goal of many urban cities in the world. Recently, many transportation systems in developed countries have attempted to transform into integrated systems [1]. The possibilities for urban transport in these developed countries (e.g. Europe, North America, Japan) include trains (tram, light rail, subway, underground, metro), buses, ferries, water taxis, and smart transportation systems. As a developing country, the need for an integrated transportation system to boost urban mobility in South Africa has been identified [2].
According to the study [3], South Africa is experiencing population growth, necessitating increased infrastructure development. The population surged by 7 million from 2001 to 2011, underscoring the need for solutions that accommodate growth without compromising service quality and efficiency. The transportation sector is one critical aspect which requires attention to keep up with the demand and rapid growth of the population within urbanised areas. This situation has caused widespread issues such as traffic congestion, traffic-related deaths and injuries, pollution, and higher energy usage [4]. The high cost of fuel and traffic-related problems have also made using purely private commuting transportation undesirable [5]. Public transport systems, especially those that enable citizens to gain access to real-time information on available travel options at any given time, will significantly benefit commuters using the public transport system. Such a system will enable commuters always to make the best value-based decisions. A commuter can determine the best transportation option available for travel per time depending on critical factors such as estimated arrival time at the destination, cost, safety, and convenience. An integrated real-time information system (IRIS) can improve public transportation by providing commuters with real-time travel information to support decision-making on routes and available travel options. Real-time traffic data can help improve the commuters' experience by providing them with information on the status of a vehicle, including occupancy, speeds, and estimated arrival time. Commuters can also be provided insights into inconvenient traffic congestion so that motor vehicles are redirected to alternative routes [6]. Currently, the existing channels for accessing real-time information are mobile applications, display screens and websites. These are usually inaccessible during peak times or provide static information for commuters. Also, the data is not integrated, which makes it difficult for commuters to have a complete view of the transport system.
An IRIS can improve customer satisfaction by conveniently harnessing information sourced from multiple systems’ sources into a unified platform where travel information on all transportation alternatives can be conveniently obtained by commuters at any given time [7]. Although multimodal trip planners are becoming more important in modern transport systems, real-time navigators and studying how they affect travel behaviour still need improvement. In France, a project called Optimod'Lyon pioneered developing a real-time travel navigator on a smartphone that integrated all modes of transportation (car, public transportation, bike, bike-sharing, foot, car sharing, and carpooling). The SMART-Way smartphone application created in 2010-2011 through an EU-funded project was the first for public transportation, allowing users to access travel information on the move within Europe. Other cities worldwide, such as Zurich, Vienna, London, and Kuwait City, have created projects similar to the Smart-Way smartphone application [8]. However, these digital projects are still very few and are limited to developed countries. Such concepts have yet to be replicated in developing countries even though many developing countries have big cities that require IRIS. Some solutions operate in silos and do not allow integrated multimodal-based trip planning.
Public transport is the backbone of the South African economy, as it plays a crucial role in transporting the workforce and providing access to economic hubs in line with other countries. According to the study [9], a significant distinction exists between mobility and accessibility planning. Mobility planning focuses on enhancing transportation network performance, while accessibility planning maximises individuals' access to various opportunities, such as employment, services, education, entertainment, and goods. However, South Africa's transportation system is inefficient due to the lack of mobility and accessibility planning. This paper reports an investigation of the stakeholders' perspective for IRIS in the context of South Africa to lay a good foundation for the design and development of an IRIS if such were to be created in the immediate future. Thus, the research questions of the study are:
1. What challenges affect the provision of real-time information for public commuting decision-making in South Africa?
2. What are the requirements for an IRIS for public commuting in South Africa?
The research questions seek to collect data at the operational level, focusing on internal stakeholders involved in the operation of the IRIS and the external stakeholders (the commuters will interact with its services).
Thus, the main objective of this study is to identify the challenges associated with implementing an IRIS for public commuting in South Africa and the specific expectations of such an IRIS after its implementation from the perspectives of critical stakeholders — commuters and transportation service providers.
As a contribution, this paper highlights the importance of understanding the requirements of an Integrated Real-Time Information System (IRIS) in the South African context from stakeholders' perspectives. By examining these requirements, the study aims to provide valuable insights into how an IRIS can be designed and implemented to address the specific needs and challenges of South Africa's transportation system. Our study also extends the discussion on integrated real-time transport information systems, a critical need in developing countries which has not received much attention thus far in the literature. Practically, the study provides a good foundation for the design and development of IRIS in South Africa and other developing countries in the immediate future. The limitation of this study is that the identified challenges of the IRIS are specific to Cape Town, and some observations may need to be more generalisable to public commuters in other cities in less developed provinces/areas of South Africa due to contextual differences. However, the observations will be relevant to other major cities in South Africa (Johannesburg, Durban) and big cities in other developing countries in Africa and beyond.
The rest of this paper is structured as follows. Section 2 presents the literature review, which provides the study's theoretical background and a review of related work. Section 3 describes the study's adopted methodology, while Section 4 outlines the study's findings. Section 5 presents the discussion of findings, while the study is concluded in Section 6 with a summary and an outlook of future work.
This section presents background on critical aspects relevant to this study and reviews related work.
2.1 Public transport in South Africa
The South African public transport system consists of three main modes: trains, taxis, and the subsidised and unsubsidised commuter bus industry [10]. These modes of transportation face numerous challenges, considering that nearly 70% of the population relies on public transport [11]. Metrorail trains are unreliable, often failing to adhere to schedules or failing to arrive at all [12]. Taxis, lacking set schedules or guides, can overwhelm first-time users and typically fill the gaps left by other non-punctual transport modes. However, the taxi industry in South Africa is volatile, prone to violence, and poses risks to commuter safety. The tensions within the industry can be attributed to the rise in unregistered operators [13]. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses offer a safer alternative to other forms of transportation. However, they are scarce during off-peak hours, and BRT services do not cover certain routes, forcing commuters to seek alternative means to reach their destinations [14]. Navigating urban areas and major cities in South Africa remains a daunting challenge for commuters [2].
2.2 The challenges of public transport in South Africa
Public transport provides mobility for a large percentage of the population which cannot afford private car transport. This includes youth, elders and young professionals. The historical land use policies in South Africa made people live far away from central business districts where education and employment opportunities are accessible. Since most South African commuters live far from their places of employment, getting to work is expensive because it takes up between 15 and 30 per cent of their disposable income [15]. South Africa can learn from countries such as Japan, China, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, and others with well-developed public transport systems that facilitate seamless mobility for workers, students, residents, and tourists [16]. These countries have embraced advanced transportation infrastructure, including high-speed bullet trains and sophisticated systems aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) concept. 4IR is critical in building modern smart transportation systems with autonomous vehicles embedded with sensors that connect and communicate through networks. The benefits realisable from smart transportation systems include electronic payment, automatic passenger counting, in-vehicle surveillance, and automated collision warning [17]. Integrating public transport in developing countries such as South Africa poses significant challenges, including fragmentation and the need for coordination among stakeholders. This fragmentation creates challenges for passengers who have to navigate multiple services and providers, leading to inefficiencies, increased costs, and reduced quality of service [18]. The passengers often fear falling due to poor road surfaces, crime, community unrest, inadequate infrastructure, and motor vehicles not honouring pedestrian crossings [19]. To address these challenges, involving stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector operators, and community groups, is essential. Stakeholder involvement in public transportation planning can help build consensus, promote coordination and cooperation, and ensure that the needs and perspectives of different actors are considered, leading to more inclusive, equitable and efficient transportation system [20].
Moreover, stakeholder involvement can help address social equity issues, a critical concern in a developing country like South Africa. Providing an integrated real-time information system (IRIS) for public commuting can positively impact different social groups, including low-income households, women, and people with disabilities [21]. However, some potential negative impacts of an IRIS in South Africa exist. First, resistance to change from commuters and stakeholders is possible, and the government must introduce proper change management to train and educate prospective users on IRIS. Second, from a regulatory and legal perspective, ensuring compliance with privacy laws, addressing liability issues, and establishing data usage guidelines may be challenging. Lastly, funding to provide adequate infrastructure could be a challenge. Hence, there will be a need to ensure adequate revenue generation from the IRIS to remain operational and effective.
2.3 Requirements elicitation
Requirements engineering is an important and foundational phase of any system development endeavour. It entails identifying, documenting, analysing, and managing the expectations (requirements) that a system or software application must meet from the perspective of relevant stakeholders. Thus, to fully understand the notion of an IRIS in the context of South Africa, a foundational activity like requirements elicitation is critical.
Requirements are the functions an automated system must perform to meet the user's needs. These functions can be classified into two main categories: non-functional requirements are the quality constraints of the information system (e.g. security, performance, maintainability), while the functional requirements are the functions and capabilities of the information system [22]. These two types of requirements are critical for the success of any system, which must be prioritised based on relevance since software projects are subject to budget, time and scope constraints [23].
Requirements elicitation is a crucial activity performed during the requirements engineering process because it allows system analysts to discover what the information system must do by understanding the functional needs of the various stakeholders [24]. It is usually the first phase in which work is done in software projects after the initiation and planning have been completed. Requirements elicitation is one of the five activities in the requirements engineering process, which includes 1. elicitation; 2. analysis; 3. documentation; 4. verification and validation; and 5. management [25]. The adverse effects of not understanding the stakeholder requirements are project delays, cancellations and deliveries of incomplete work [26]. The common techniques for gathering stakeholder requirements are interviews, questionnaires, observations, requirements workshops, and brainstorming [26]. Each technique has its strengths and weaknesses; the most widely used technique is the interview, as it allows for rich data collection through personal engagement with stakeholders. Questionnaires are also popular tools for gathering requirements as they can be distributed more conveniently, targeting a larger group of people [27]. Recently, co-design approaches with tools and methods that support broader user participation have been increasingly adopted [28-30]. Requirements elicitation activities are necessary before implementing the IRIS in South Africa because the IRIS will serve multiple stakeholders with unique expectations that the system must accommodate. For example, the taxis are very traditional in their operations and do not employ many technological tools in their day-to-day process, which contrasts with the BRT bus service. The variant and nuanced expectations of all stakeholders must be catered to in the design and development of the IRIS, which makes the elicitation of requirements necessary.
2.4 Real-time information systems for transportation
The real-time information systems used in the transportation domain can be in the form of websites, smartphone apps or display panels that provide commuters with information on the vehicle's location, estimated arrival time, occupancy rate and alternative routes [31]. Real-time transport information systems (RTIS) assist commuters in making more informed decisions and improve the overall travel experience. For example, in Jeju province of South Korea, real-time information accessed via mobile devices was used to detect over-crowdedness at tourist destinations; this allows tourists to make a guided decision on whether to visit the destination or not; the study confirms that overcrowding is a significant determinant of visit intention [32]. RTIS are particularly advantageous when passenger load fluctuations occur. When demand varies throughout the day, RTIS allow passengers to anticipate and respond to changing levels of crowding. RTIS can help prevent one service from becoming excessively crowded while others have available capacity. By balancing passenger loads across multiple services, RTIS contribute to a more efficient and effective public transport network operation [33]. A pilot study conducted in the Stockholm metro network evaluated the impact of RTIS on passenger behaviour. The study found that providing car-specific RTIS decreased the number of passengers choosing to board the most crowded metro cars [31].
Additionally, in the Netherlands, a smartphone application was utilised to provide train crowding information based on historical load observations [34]. This application allows passengers to access information about the level of crowding on trains based on previous observations. Similarly, RTIS real-time is applied in London to detect train occupancy [33].
2.5 Related work
A study conducted in Kuwait [35] presents an IoT-based public transport management system (TMS) to address the challenges of providing efficient and reliable public transportation services in cities. The authors designed and developed a smart TMS to enhance system capacity, passenger safety, and comfort while reducing costs and risks. The proposed system involves an electronic device powered by the Arduino kit. It was installed in public buses, capable of collecting data from various sensors and transmitting it immediately to a cloud server. By storing data in the cloud, the bus management staff can access and monitor the buses' status, which will help them to improve their services and make better decisions. The study presents a solution for bus commuting services. However, it provides features that enhance the overall passenger experience and help reduce wait times. It does not address the issue of a multimodal public transport system.
A real-time information system for public commuting called MOTUS — Mobility and Tourism in Urban Scenarios, was implemented in the Netherlands. The system is able to provide information on the best travel options to tourists and those who are travelling around the inner city [36]. The effectiveness of MOTUS can be measured based on four criteria: safety, mobility, revenue collection, and environmental impact.
The Expressway Management System (EMS) is a transport information system implemented in South Korea to guide commuters by collecting real-time traffic information. The EMS collect and stores data at South Korea's National Transport Information Center, which is distributed to commuters in real-time [37]. It also offers a platform for revenue generation for the government because users have to pay to access the EMS service. However, it needs to do more safety and environmental health. South Africa can improve on the South Korean system by incorporating features that focus on safety. Doing this may involve real-time reporting of incidents, accidents, and road disruptions to enhance passenger safety.
MIRA is a real-time system that is used in the United Kingdom to control complex transport situations. It is based on a robust military-grade architecture that guarantees its reliability and persistent uptime [37]. Learning from the UK model, South Africa can focus on building systems with persistent uptime. Doing this will involve investing in robust infrastructure to ensure continuous availability of services for commuters. In the case of South Africa, there is a lack of integrated real-time information systems. However, some transport information services are mobile apps that are downloadable onto smartphones and provide static route schedules. They operate in silos; there is no centralised real-time transport information system where all the modes of transport can share data to be disseminated to the public commuters.
Similarly, Google Services, such as the transit app, are available to South African commuters, but the system is limited to only road transport and provides fixed-route schedules [38]. This scenario makes the need for an IRIS for South Africa critical. An essential first step in realising this objective is to understand the stakeholders' requirements, which this study provides.
3.1 Service design
A research strategy is a plan of how the researcher will achieve set goals and answer the research questions [39]. We adopted service design as a research strategy because it is suited to exploratory and inductive research. Service designers use the 'Double Diamond' model. The first diamond deals with understanding the problem, and the second diamond represents the creation of a solution [40]. As shown in Figure 1, the service design process is divided into four phases: Discover phase, Define phase, Develop phase and Deliver phase. The Discover phase aims to understand the problem by observing, reading, and engaging with stakeholders. The Define phase clarifies and focuses on the real problem to solve. Several possible solutions are designed and iteratively developed into prototypes in the development phase. In the Deliver phase, the developed solution is deployed, feedback is gathered, and the project is finalised [41].
Figure 1. Service design process [41]
According to the study [42], the phases of service design can be applied individually or wholly in research, where the scope of the study drives the stages at which the service design process is applied. Thus, to explore stakeholders' perspectives on real-time information for public commuters in South Africa in this study, we covered the Discover and the Define phases of the first diamond and the ideation activity to identify requirements for the IRIS, which belong to the Develop phase of the second diamond. The rationale for using a service design strategy was to include public transport commuters in co-creating an IRIS to improve the delivery of public transport services in South Africa. Furthermore, public participation will increase commuter acceptance and support, which is essential for technology uptake.
3.2 Research design
Our research design for this study is based on service design. The Discover phase of our service design involved formulating research questions, generating interview questions, and interviewing selected stakeholders. The Define phase of the service design involved the analysis of the collected data (identifying themes and findings, and interpretation of findings). We achieved ideation, an activity of the Develop phase of service design, by conducting a co-design workshop involving commuters (see Table 1).
The research questions of this study are exploratory. Hence, a qualitative approach was adopted, focusing on understanding the requirements of an IRIS from the stakeholders' perspectives. The exploratory nature of qualitative research allows the reader to understand the experience, the distinct nature of the phenomenon or program and its impact on people. Therefore, this research is exploratory because it seeks knowledge concerning the stakeholder requirements for an IRIS.
We adopted a multiple case study research design that involves key transport operators in South Africa and a co-design workshop with public commuters. The authors used purposive sampling to select participants who were accessible and willing to participate in the co-design workshop. The sampling frame for the co-design workshops was working-class persons and students who commute using public transport. To ensure respondents' familiarity with integrated real-time information systems, we included participants who commute to the workplace or school through the public transport system (road, rail) in South Africa and are familiar with information technology. The participants of the co-design workshop were selected based on the following criteria: a balance between genders, active age groups, experienced and non-experienced commuters, techno-savvy commuters, and people who travel for different purposes, such as work, school, and other activities. The stakeholders interviewed are IT professionals and senior management employees at public transport operators (PTOs) in Cape Town (see Table 2 and Table 3).
A pilot study involving 3 participants assessed the quality of interview questions. We used the feedback obtained from the pilot study to revise the interview questions. The process workflow of the adopted research design is shown in Figure 2.
Table 1. The phases of service design and research activities
|
Phase |
Research Activities |
|
Discover |
|
|
Define |
|
|
Develop |
|
Table 2. Profile of interviewed participants
|
Participant |
Title |
Role |
Stakeholder |
|
R1 |
Operations Manager |
Management Role |
Taxi Association |
|
R2 |
Communications |
Co-ordinate route changes to taxi owners and other stakeholders |
Taxi Association |
|
R3 |
IT Manager |
IT department as a senior technician |
Rail Transport |
|
R4 |
Operations Manager |
Head of the department |
Rail Transport |
|
R5 |
IT Manager |
Managing IT infrastructure |
Private Road Transport |
|
R6 |
Line Manager |
Manage the operation of different routes |
Private Road Transport |
|
R7 |
Manager |
General Management and oversight of the organisation’s operations. |
Public Road Transport |
|
R8 |
IT Administrator |
Head IT infrastructure |
Public Road Transport |
Table 3. Profile of co-design participants
|
Participant |
Age |
Gender |
Group |
Occupation Status |
Colour |
|
P1 |
29 |
Female |
A |
Employed |
Green |
|
P2 |
21 |
Female |
A |
Student |
Pink |
|
P3 |
23 |
Male |
A |
Student |
Blue |
|
P4 |
26 |
Male |
B |
Work |
Yellow |
|
P5 |
19 |
Female |
B |
Student |
Pink |
|
P6 |
25 |
Female |
B |
Student |
Blue |
|
P7 |
46 |
Male |
C |
Work |
White |
|
P8 |
43 |
Male |
C |
Work |
Yellow |
|
P9 |
30 |
Female |
C |
Work |
Green |
|
P10 |
29 |
Male |
C |
Work |
White |
Figure 2. The process workflow of the study design
3.3 Data collection and analysis
The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with PTOs and co-design with public transport commuters. We interviewed a total of 8 participants who were the informants from the four major stakeholders’ organisations (a public road transport operator, a rail transport operator, a private road transport operator, and a taxi association) in the public transport system within the City of Cape Town region of South Africa. Also, ten public transport commuters participated in the co-design sessions.
The interviews were recorded and stored on password-protected devices; the researcher then listened to the recordings to transcribe each interviewee's response. The transcription process involved transferring the interview responses onto Microsoft Word documents, with each interviewee's answers captured alongside a copy of the original question set. This approach facilitated a clear alignment between the provided questions and the corresponding responses, ensuring accurate representation and ease of reference during subsequent analysis; after that, the data was transferred to spreadsheets for analysis. The co-design participants were placed into groups A, B, and C. Groups A and B consisted of 3 participants each, while Group C had 4 participants. The co-design workshop was done in three phases. The first phase was collecting data from participants through an interactive Q&A session. Then, the participants were required to note their responses on a Post-it note, which was used to compile the affinity charts. The affinity charts assisted the groups to prioritise and categorise their ideas to ensure better collaboration for the second phase of the workshop. During the second phase of the workshop, the data was collated and discussed among the researcher and participants. Finally, the third phase required the groups to develop design concepts for how they envisioned the IRIS. The design of the IRIS by the participants’ groups is shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5.
Figure 3. Group (A) Participants' design of an IRIS
Figure 4. Group (B) participants' design of an IRIS.
Figure 5. Group (C) participants' design of an IRIS
The illustrations of the conceptual designs above provided the researcher with some insights into the design requirements of an IRIS from the perspective of the commuters who would be the system's potential users.
We used thematic analysis to analyse the data collected from the interviews. Thematic analysis is usually applied to text-like interview transcripts, where researchers look for patterns and classify them into broader themes. For our thematic analysis, we used a six-step process: Step 1: Familiarisation with the data, Step 2: Generating initial codes, Step 3: Searching for themes, Step 4: Reviewing potential themes, Step 5: Defining and naming themes and Step 6: Producing the report. The primary tool used for organising and coding the data was Microsoft Excel. Initially, the responses from each participant to the questions posed during the interviews were transcribed. Then, through a systematic coding process, key patterns and categories were identified within the data. The procedure involved identifying recurring ideas, concepts, or statements and assigning them corresponding codes. Subsequently, these codes were organised and grouped into themes based on their similarity and relevance. The themes were developed iteratively by examining the relationships between the codes and refining their descriptions to represent the data accurately.
In this section, we present the findings of the study based on the two research questions after the analysis of data collected from co-design workshops with commuters and the interview sessions with informants from the public transport operators (PTOs). The research questions investigated are:
RQ1: What challenges affect the provision of real-time information for public commuting decision-making in South Africa?
RQ2: What are the requirements for an IRIS for public commuting in South Africa?
4.1 Challenges of public transport (RQ1)
There are several challenges faced by commuters with public transport in South Africa, as outlined in Table 4. The findings show that commuters are dissatisfied with the state of public transportation in South Africa. Their concerns relate to punctuality, lack of maintenance and poor service quality. There are instances when commuters feel let down by the public transport system, particularly those who travel to their places of work and students who are subject to unsavoury conditions of public commuting. Commuters are also often negatively affected by PTO trade union strikes, which cause violent conflicts between groups within the unions and jeopardise the safety of passengers. There is a perception amongst commuters that the ongoing problems around public transportation can be attributed to a lack of investment initiatives, lack of accountability, and neglect of socio-traffic issues like congestion, overcrowding, and accidents.
Table 5 shows that the PTOs highlighted similar sentiments regarding the nature of the public transport system in South Africa. The operators acknowledge the issues around safety, violence, degraded infrastructure, and other social traffic issues in the current public transport system. However, the participants also noted that the main reason public transport is still preferred is its affordability. The PTOs are aware of the role of real-time information as an innovative way of improving the current situation by aiding commuters' decision-making process. However, many issues surround providing such information to commuters, particularly around access to resources such as technology tools and reliable network connections.
Table 4. Challenges of public transport: Findings from co-design sessions with commuters
|
Co-design Question 1: How would you describe the state of public transportation in South Africa today? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Co-design Question 2: In what situation or encounter can you recall where you most needed travel information on public transport service? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Co-design Question 3: In your opinion, why do these challenges faced by public commuters persist? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
Table 5. Challenges of public transport: Findings from interviews with public transport operators (PTOs)
|
Interview Question 1: Can you provide an overview of the public transportation system in Cape Town? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Interview Question 2: What is your knowledge of real-time information? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Interview Question 3: What do you think are the challenges of providing real-time information for commuters? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
4.2 The requirements for an IRIS (RQ2)
The co-design workshop yielded rich qualitative data extracted from the affinity charts created by the participants as a series of questions were asked by the researcher. The questions asked are as follows:
• What is your understanding of integrated real-time information systems for public commuting? How do you think this will benefit commuters?
• What type of information about each mode of transport system would you specifically want to be made available to commuters?
• In what format would you like to receive this information? What type of features would you want to see on such a system?
During the co-creation phase of the workshop, the participants were allowed to conceptualise their responses to the questions asked by producing a series of design concepts. The design concepts created by participants were subsequently analysed to extract additional requirements. Similarly, to achieve the objective of understanding the requirements from the perspective of the PTOs, a series of questions are asked during a semi-structured interview process:
• Do you think there is merit in sharing real-time travel information with other transport agencies?
• How would you describe the benefits of an integrated traveller information system for commuters?
• Considering the current transportation system in CT, how well would an integrated real-time system work?
• What desirable features should an integrated real-time information system provide for commuters and operators?
• What are the challenges such a system might encounter in the current climate?
The need for an Independent Contractor (IC) as a mediator between several PTOs emerged from the concerns raised by both the commuters and PTOs around the issue of trust, security, transparency and fairness of the operations of an IRIS. All the stakeholders expressed the need for a neutral body to administer the IRIS. Thus, the third stakeholder of the IRIS is the IC organisation, which would be appointed as a neutral body that would maintain the IRIS and mediate disputes between the other stakeholders, particularly relating to revenue sharing. The commuters also require training and technical support on how to use the IRIS, which would be the role of the IC organisation. The roles of the stakeholders of the IRIS are shown in Figure 6.
4.2.1 Use case of the IRIS
A use case model reveals the different functions a new system is expected to perform and the role of various actors in the system. Based on interaction with participants in the study, we were able to derive a use case model for the IRIS. Figure 7 presents a use case diagram showing the various tasks the stakeholders would perform in the system. These functions correspond to the expected behaviour of the IRIS based on the inputs from each type of stakeholder. These define the functional requirements that the IRIS must satisfy in response to inputs/activities of each specific stakeholder. We used interviews to elicit requirements from the PTOs who would be the internal stakeholders of the IRIS. Also, the commuters participated in co-design sessions, which involved the ideation and co-creation of conceptual designs that outlined their desired features from an IRIS.
4.2.2 Functional requirements of external stakeholders
Figure 7 shows a use case diagram derived from the data collected from interviews and the co-design workshop in response to the research question, "What are the requirements for an IRIS for public commuting in South Africa?". The collected data was analysed (as described in the previous sections) to identify the key themes and perspectives shared by the participants from which the requirements emerged. In Figure 7, Commuters and IC staff are categorised as external stakeholders because they are external to the organisations that generate the travel information.
However, there is an overlap between some of the functions triggered by the external and internal stakeholders; this is mainly because the IC staff provide maintenance and administrative duties with escalated permissions while the staff of PTOs would also require administrative functions; however, at lower levels of permissions. This is to maintain system integrity by ensuring that an independent organisation is responsible for performing high-level admin functions instead of granting the powers to all the PTOs.
4.2.3 Functional requirements of internal stakeholders
The PTO staff are the only internal stakeholders in the IRIS because they are involved with the processes, infrastructure and subsystems that would be integrated to build a new proposed system. Thus, they are directly and financially involved in the operational process and categorised as internal stakeholders. Table 6 presents the use case of the PTO staff with transaction management overlapping from Table 7.
Figure 6. Diagram showing stakeholder roles
Figure 7. Use case diagram of stakeholder requirements
Table 6. Description of internal stakeholder use cases
|
Use Case |
Description |
|
Fleet Management |
This use case involves the geolocation of vehicles on live maps. |
|
Driver Management |
This use case relates to how Human Resource Departments can monitor drivers' habits and rate performance. |
|
Transaction Management |
This use case only allows PTOs to trace or view the status of a transaction; however, they cannot withdraw any money from the system without the permission of the IC. |
|
Update Information |
Being able to update certain components of travel information, for example, changes in fare amounts |
|
Seat Reservation |
The PTOs should be able to reserve or limit the number of seats available for passengers on a vehicle. |
Table 7. Description of commuter and IC use cases
|
Use Case |
Description |
|
Search Travel Information |
This is triggered by the commuters who are the main users of the IRIS; the use case allows them to filter travel information about fare amounts, number of passengers on board, alternative routes or modes, departure and arrival time, delays, accidents, strikes, and traffic congestion. |
|
Update Information |
Commuters must be able to update their personal information on the system, for example, by adding billing information for electronic payments. |
|
Electronic Payments |
Commuters must be able to use digital payment methods as an alternative to carrying cash. |
|
Vehicle Location |
The commuters must be able to track vehicles on interactive maps. |
|
Seat Reservation |
Commuters should have the ability to reserve seats on an approaching vehicle. |
|
Security Policy Management |
The IC must have top-level permission to assign access rights to users who are either commuters or PTO staff. |
|
Transaction Management |
The IC will have access to financial records and mediate when there are disputes between the system's stakeholders. |
|
Maintenance |
The system must have scheduled backups, security patches and fixes for bugs or errors. This is placed on the IC, who must be able to put the system in an isolated state during off-peak hours. |
Table 8. Description of non-functional requirements of an IRIS
|
Non-functional Requirements |
Description |
|
Functionality |
As outlined in the functional requirements, working feature sets also include security, which is very important in the IRIS and was a concern for the interviews and co-design session participants. |
|
Usability |
The commuters who participated in the co-design sessions require travel information from different channels such as display screens, mobile applications, USSD and other IoT devices. The user interface must allow multiple devices to render the system, and a consistent look and feel must be maintained. |
|
Reliability |
The IRIS must be robust and have backup mechanisms that reduce the impact of failures. |
|
Performance |
The real-time aspect of this system requires the processing speeds to be kept at optimum levels, so performance is an important attribute. |
|
Supportability |
The end-users must be able to give feedback on the system and be provided with support in the event of a system glitch. Maintenance must be done at regular intervals to minimise these errors. |
4.2.4 Non-functional requirements
The non-functional requirements were ascertained through the guidance of the FURPS+ model [43], which classifies Functionality, Usability, Reliability, Performance and Supportability as the main qualitative measures of a system. The non-functional requirements were also extracted from the responses of the commuters and the PTOs to the questions that were posed. Non-functional requirements are often overlooked and not considered as important as functional requirements. However, they are a qualitative measure of the system's capabilities.
During the interviews and co-design sessions, the participants focused more on the system's functional requirements, assuming that non-functional attributes such as functionality, usability, reliability, performance and supportability are expected to be part of the system by default. However, they were specifically prompted to give their views on the non-functional requirements that they consider important for the IRIS. The participants opined that the IRIS must have internal controls to protect the integrity of its data; just like any other information system, internal and external threats must be mitigated. This will require knowledge of the role of each stakeholder so that they are assigned the appropriate access permissions on the system. The primary users are the commuters who will consume travel information from the IRIS.
In contrast, the PTOs are tasked with keeping the information up to date when changes at the organisational level occur, representing another category of stakeholders. For example, fare changes would necessitate an update to the system, which must be the function of PTOs. The elicited non-functional requirements are shown in Table 8.
4.2.5 Perceived benefits and concerns of the IRIS
This section presents the findings on the perceived benefits and concerns of the IRIS amongst the different transport operators and commuters. Most stakeholders' comments indicated that sharing information between operators would benefit the public transport system. However, privacy issues were also raised, and extra security measures must be implemented to protect confidential customer data. Table 9 presents the perceived benefits from the perspective of the commuters, and Table 10 shows the views of the PTOs
The stakeholders also expressed several concerns regarding the IRIS (see Table 11 ), which focussed on issues of i) low digital literacy among commuters and lack of access to high-end digital devices to consume the services of IRIS; ii) late arrival of buses due to delays; iii) government interference in the operations of PTOs; iv) unfavourable fare increases; v) accuracy of the IRIS regarding specific stations and estimated wait times; vi) revenue sharing amongst PTOs; vii) ability of the IRIS to tackle the difficulty of finding taxis after regular working hours; viii) poor state of infrastructure; ix) unhealthy competition amongst PTOs; x) the impact of enforced standardization and accountability; xii) currency of information in the IRIS; xiii) how to source information from different PTOs; and xiv) system downtimes due to regular power failure (load shedding).
Table 9. Benefits of IRIS for commuters
|
Co-design Question 4: What is your understanding of IRIS for public commuting? How do you think this will benefit commuters? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
Table 10. Benefits of IRIS from PTOs
|
Interview Question 4: How would you describe the benefits of an integrated traveller information system for commuters? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
Table 11. Concerns of stakeholders regarding the IRIS
|
Interview Question 1: What are the challenges that such a system (IRIS) might encounter in the current climate? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Interview Question 2: What do you think are the preferred travel information needs of commuters? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
|
Interview Question 3: What do you think are the challenges of providing real-time information for commuters? |
|
|
Stakeholder Comments |
Findings |
|
|
5.1 Interpretation of findings
i. What challenges affect the provision of real-time information for public commuting decision-making in South Africa?
The findings in this study show an overlap between the views of commuters and PTOs regarding the nature of public commuting in South Africa. The prevalent view is that the public transport system faces challenges that disadvantage commuters. These include discomfort, overcrowding, waiting time, and breakdowns. Other challenges are poor infrastructure [44], traffic issues, overcrowding, and safety. Shange and Harmáček [45] state that public transport is prone to accidents caused by reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles, and poor road conditions. According to the study [46], a lot has to be done before a shift toward an efficient public transport system; the fundamental is to address the dysfunctional rail network and improve the quality of the roads. However, as indicated by this study's participants, the main benefit of using the current public transport system is its affordability. Hence, the users are tolerant in light of the challenges they experience daily.
Similarly, Luke and Heyns [47] posit that the current perception of public transport in South Africa is so low that most public transport users aim to buy a private vehicle as soon as they can afford it. The development of public transport requires investment towards technology solutions at facilities, which is lacking in the South African context. The lack of funds and resources is one of the things which is hindering transport development in most countries [48, 49]. The government is at the core of sourcing funds to modernise the public transport system through private-public partnerships. This can help alleviate the problem of degrading infrastructure and facilities through increased investment projects. Providing quality infrastructure creates the foundation for an IRIS, which will resolve traffic-related challenges.
ii. What are the requirements for an IRIS for public commuting in South Africa?
The functional requirements in this study can be classified into two types: end-user requirements and administrator requirements. End-user requirements are features that commuters use. These include searching for travel information, updating information, e-payments and vehicle location services. The administrator requirements are those used by PTOs to automate their business processes. These features include fleet management, driver management, transaction management, updated travel information, and seat reservations. Integrated systems are complex since they connect and harmonise multiple systems, and therefore, standards must be followed to ensure that these integrated applications are compatible [50]. Non-functional requirements are characteristics that have been standardised as system performance measures; this study identified functionality, usability, reliability, performance and supportability as critical attributes. Interoperability is one such characteristic that is, by default, required in an integrated system as multiple varying subsystems are merged into a larger system. Regarding the IRIS, three types of interoperability assessment will be critical. These are potentiality/maturity, compatibility, and performance assessments [51].
The maturity assessment of the IRIS will evaluate how well it can adapt and respond dynamically to overcome possible barriers when interacting with a potential partner. This evaluation uses a qualitative measures-based rating scale composed of linguistic variables focusing on aspects such as competency, capability, and level of sophistication. The IRIS's compatibility assessment will evaluate the interoperability level between different subsystems that make up the IRIS before or after any instance of interoperation. This evaluation aims to determine the current state of various subsystems to be integrated to identify the conflicts that may cause problems. Quantitative measures such as maximal potential interoperability measure (MPIM) and minimal effective interoperability measure (MEIM) [52] can be used. Lastly, the performance interoperability assessment of the IRIS will focus on the quality of interaction between component subsystems of the IRIS at run-time. This evaluation will require quantitative metrics such as the costs of implementing interoperable applications, the interval between an information request and response between systems, the quality of the information exchange, the quality of use, and the quality of conformity [51].
The above features bring about efficiency and convenience for the commuter and public transport operator. They improve many of the manual processes and outdated applications being used currently. For example, commuters would no longer be required to carry around cash as IRIS would have e-payment options; this is efficient and improves their safety at transport facilities. The PTOs also believe that commuters will benefit from an integrated system because it will enhance the public transport system's decision-making, safety, and reliability. Although the stakeholders ascertained the requirements above, there is a great need to provide training to users post-implementation to ensure a smooth transition from operating in silos to a new integrated system [53]. The other apparent concern was the need to put in measures to protect customer data in a shared environment. The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI) is government legislation protecting the public from being victims of data misuse [54]. Therefore, this regulation needs to be enforced in the IRIS.
5.2 Managerial and societal implications
The findings of this study can have significant managerial and societal implications that can contribute to improving public transport services and the well-being of commuters. From a managerial perspective, the findings can help stakeholders in the transport sector better understand commuters’ needs and preferences, which can inform decision-making and resource allocation. For example, the rollout of free WiFi connections at passenger stations to make the IRIS equally accessible. Additionally, the findings on the stakeholder requirements for an IRIS may have significant societal implications. For example, the system can promote public transportation over private vehicles by giving commuters accurate and up-to-date information on available options, reducing traffic congestion and its associated environmental effects. Additionally, the IRIS can enhance passengers' overall travel experiences by lowering the stress and inconvenience associated with public transportation in underdeveloped nations like South Africa.
Also, the IRIS will have a significant socio-economic impact on stakeholders (PTOs and commuters). Some of these include the possibility of job displacements for non-technology-savvy employees of PTOs due to automation. On the positive side, it will also facilitate the recruitment of many technology-skilled personnel by PTOs. According to Mccrocklin [55], based on data from Worldometer and Statista, in 2019, “South Africa had a population of 58.56 million and 101.9 million mobile subscribers spread across five main mobile network operators”. Also, according to Mccrocklin [55], South Africa has over 95% mobile phone penetration. Additionally, 91% of all phones in the country are smartphones, a relatively high percentage compared to most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, it is expected that many commuters can immediately consume the services of the IRIS. However, for the significant few that remain, PTOs and government authorities can initiate special smartphone ownership schemes in collaboration with the major telecommunication providers to ensure that more persons can acquire smart digital devices at an affordable cost and cheap internet data rates.
5.3 Recommendations
Based on the findings from this study, we present some recommendations to address the challenges of IRIS and to ensure that the requirements of the IRIS identified by stakeholders are satisfied.
i. Challenges of public transport (RQ1)
A substantial investment is required to enhance and maintain the transportation infrastructure, along with integrating Public Transport Operators' (PTOs) systems into the improved infrastructure. This investment is crucial to accommodate the anticipated population growth and unlock the complete benefits of an IRIS. Also, the government needs to implement policy reforms that incentivise and support improvements in the public transportation sector. This may include regulatory changes, subsidies, or other policy instruments encouraging better service delivery. The other recommendation is to create awareness and education programs to make commuters and PTO staff realise the benefits of an IRIS, which could reduce the concerns and resistance regarding implementing the IRIS.
ii. The requirements for an IRIS (RQ2)
There is a need to invest in state-of-the-art technology initiatives such as Vehicular Internet of Things (Vehicular IoT), Artificial intelligence (AI) and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies to enhance the efficiency and reliability of public transportation. These modern technology initiatives will play a crucial role in addressing congestion, delays, and communication issues. Commuters also expect to consume real-time information from devices such as mobile phones, display screens, and other digital platforms. Therefore, the IRIS must be interoperable and responsive for different screen types. Apart from the functionality, the non-functional aspects of the IRIS, such as security, must be attended to because users are concerned about how their data will be stored and protected.
This study explored the various challenges affecting the provision of real-time information for public commuting in South Africa to understand the stakeholder requirements for an IRIS for public commuting in a developing country such as South Africa. We undertook a qualitative study where data was collected through interviews with PTOs (public road transport, rail transport, private road transport, taxi association) and co-design sessions with commuters within the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The findings suggest that the growth and improvement of the public transportation system in developing countries like South Africa have long been plagued by several challenges. These include unreliability, safety, and socio-traffic problems like accidents, crowding, and congestion. At the same time, infrastructure is deteriorating due to insufficient investment projects and neglect. From the commuter perspective, we found that the critical requirements for an IRIS in the South African context are capabilities for searching information, multiple payment methods, support for multiple languages, and identifying the live location of vehicles on interactive maps. In addition, private transport operators (PTOs) require features such as managing drivers and fleet and customer reviews, which aid them in their administrative duties.
The findings also suggest that implementing an IRIS can benefit commuters by providing real-time information to support decision-making on modes and routes. However, to get the best experience from such a system, the features need to be well understood from all stakeholders' perspectives. The stakeholders also expressed several concerns regarding the IRIS, which include low digital literacy of commuters, lack of access to high-end digital devices, delay in the arrival times of buses, undue interference in the operations of PTOs by government, unfavourable fare increases; accuracy and currency of information from the IRIS; revenue sharing amongst PTOs; availability of taxi after regular working hours; poor state of infrastructure; unhealthy competition amongst PTOs; the impact of enforced standardisation and accountability on operations of PTOs; complexity of sourcing from different PTOs; and system downtimes due to regular power failure (load shedding).
This study makes an academic contribution by providing insights into the nature of public transport in South Africa and the critical requirements for designing and developing an integrated real-time information system (IRIS). The practical contribution of this study is that its findings offer significant insight into enhancing South Africa's transportation landscape. Also, the recommendations of this study will contribute to the formulation of policies that will advance infrastructure development and improve public transport service delivery standards for the benefit of commuters in South Africa and other developing countries.
In future work, the identified requirements will be used for prototype development and implementation of an IRIS. We will also conduct exploratory studies on the potential for its adoption and uptake by South African PTOs, commuters and government agencies. As a future research direction, we shall explore how emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and blockchain could enhance the IRIS's functionality and effectiveness and elicit stakeholder requirements for the IRIS. Further investigations will focus on evaluation studies involving commuters, public transport organisations (PTOs), and government agencies in South Africa. Specific focus will include assessing the impact of IRIS on commuters’ behaviour and traffic congestion management. We will also conduct evaluation studies regarding the usability of the IRIS, interoperability assessment (INAS) of PTOs based on the IRIS, and the influence of the IRIS on public transport efficiency, safety and effectiveness.
This work is supported by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.
[1] Chowdhury, S., Hadas, Y., Gonzalez, V.A., Schot, B. (2018). Public transport users' and policy makers' perceptions of integrated public transport systems. Transport Policy, 61: 75-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2017.10.001
[2] Thomas, D. P. (2016). Public transportation in South Africa: Challenges and opportunities. World, 3(3): 352-366.
[3] Feikie, X.E., Das, D.K., Mostafa, M.M.H. (2018). Perceptions of the factors causing traffic congestion and plausible measures to alleviate the challenge in Bloemfontein, South Africa. In 37th Annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2018), Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 742-754.
[4] Yasin, Y.J., Grivna, M., Abu-Zidan, F.M. (2021). Global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on road traffic collisions. World Journal of Emergency Surgery, 16(1): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-021-00395-8
[5] Ceder, A. (2021). Urban mobility and public transport: Future perspectives and review. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 25(4): 455-479. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2020.1799846
[6] Lilhore, U.K., Imoize, A.L., Li, C.T., Simaiya, S., Pani, S. K., Goyal, N., Kumar, A., Lee, C.C. (2022). Design and implementation of an ML and IoT based adaptive traffic-management system for smart cities. Sensors, 22(8): 2908. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22082908
[7] Pronello, C., Simão, J.P.R.V., Rappazzo, V. (2017). The effects of the multimodal real-time information systems on travel behavior. Transportation Research Procedia, 25: 2677-2689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.172
[8] Pronello, C., Camusso, C. (2015). User requirements for the design of efficient mobile devices to navigate through public transport networks. In: Thomopoulos, N., Givoni, M., Rietveld, P. (eds) ICT for Transport: Opportunities and Threats. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 55-93.
[9] Luckan, Y. (2022). Towards a humanistic approach to inclusive public transport: A critical case study of Durban, South Africa. Journal of Inclusive Cities and Built Environment, 2(1): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.54030/2788-564X/2022/cp1v2a2
[10] Aropet, R. (2017). Southern African solutions to public transport challenges. In 36th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2017), Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 805-810.
[11] Statistics South Africa. (2019). General Household Survey 2018. Government of South Africa, p. 203.
[12] Mthimkulu, N. (2017). Southern African solutions to public transport challenges. In 36th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2017), Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 811-817.
[13] Vegter, I. (2020). South Africa's minibus taxi industry — Resistance to formalisation and innovation. https://irr.org.za/reports/occasional-reports/files/web-irr-south-africas-minibus-taxiindustry-report.pdf, accessed on Jul. 15, 2023.
[14] Mtizi, C. (2017). Southern African solutions to public transport challenges. In 36th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2017), Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 818-825.
[15] Kgwedi, R., Krygsman, S. (2017.). Minibus-taxis as providers of scheduled, park & ride services: A Concept for Stellenbosch. In 36th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2017), Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 362-374.
[16] Hlatshwayo, M. (2022). The public transport crisis in South Africa: Through the eyes of the four revolutions. The Thinker, 92(3): 49-60.
[17] Mbowa, K., Aigbavboa, C., Akinshipe, O., Thwala, D.W. (2021). An overview of key emerging technologies transforming public transportation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1107(1): 012169. IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1107/1/012169
[18] Ceder, A. (2004). New urban public transportation systems: Initiatives, effectiveness, and challenges. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 130(1): 56-65. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9488(2004)130:1(56)
[19] van Biljon, H.M., van Niekerk, L. (2021). Community mobility and transport use of urban older adults who attend public healthcare in Gauteng, South Africa. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 51(3): 34-41. http://doi.org/10.17159/2310-3833/2021/vol51n3a5
[20] Odame, P.K., Amoako-Sakyi, R.O., Abane, A., Zuidgeest, M. (2023). Exploring stakeholders' response to travel needs of commuters with disability in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly. Geo: Geography and Environment, 10(2): e129. https://doi.org/10.1002/geo2.129
[21] Venter, C., Jennings, G., Hidalgo, D., Valderrama Pineda, A. F. (2018). The equity impacts of bus rapid transit: A review of the evidence and implications for sustainable transport. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 12(2): 140-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2017.1340528
[22] Becker, P., Tebes, G., Peppino, D. Olsina, L. (2019). Applying an improving strategy that embeds functional and non-functional requirements concepts. Journal of Computer Science and Technology, 19(2): 153-174. https://doi.org/10.24215/16666038.19.e15
[23] Dabbagh, M., Lee, S.P. (2014). An approach for integrating the prioritization of functional and non-functional requirements. The Scientific World Journal, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/737626
[24] Pacheco, C., Garcia, I., Reyes, M. (2018). Requirements elicitation techniques: A systematic literature review based on the maturity of the techniques. IET Software, 12(4): 365-378. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-sen.2017.0144
[25] Ferreira Martins, H., Carvalho de Oliveira Junior, A., Dias Canedo, E., Dias Kosloski, R. A., Ávila Paldês, R., & Costa Oliveira, E. (2019). Design thinking: Challenges for software requirements elicitation. Information, 10(12): 371. https://doi.org/10.3390/info10120371
[26] Batra, M., Bhatnagar, A. (2019). Requirements elicitation technique selection: A five factors approach. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, 8(5C): 1332-1341. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijeat.E1190.0585C19
[27] Sommerville, I. (2016) Software Engineering. 10th Edition, Pearson Education Limited, Boston.
[28] Martínez, R., Moreno-Muro, F.J., Melero-Muñoz, F.J., Bueno-Delgado, M.V., Garrido-Lova, J., Sánchez-Melero, M., Tuveter, K. (2021). Co-design and engineering of user requirements for a novel ICT healthcare solution in Murcia, Spain. In: Pires, I.M., Spinsante, S., Zdravevski, E., Lameski, P. (eds) Smart Objects and Technologies for Social Good. GOODTECHS 2021. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 401. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91421-9_21
[29] Bell, D., Nusir, M. (2017). Co-design for government e-service stakeholders. In Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii, pp. 2539-2548.
[30] Ouhbi, S., Karampela, M., Isomursu, M. (2019, May). Integrating users logic into requirements engineering for connected healthcare co-design. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering (ENASE 2019), pp. 480-485. https://doi.org/10.5220/0007754504800485
[31] Macedo, E., Teixeira, J., Sampaio, C., Silva, N., Coelho, M.C., Glinos, M., Bandeira, J.M. (2021). Real-time information systems for public transport: User perspective. Transportation Research Procedia, 52: 732-739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2021.01.088
[32] Chang, J.H., Lee, C.H. (2023). The effect of real-time crowding information on tourists’ procrastination of planned travel schedule. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 56: 18-28. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.06.001
[33] Drabicki, A., Cats, O., Kucharski, R., Fonzone, A., Szarata, A. (2023). Should I stay, or should I board? Willingness to wait with real-time crowding information in urban public transport. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 47: 100963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2023.100963
[34] Spoorwegen, N. (2021). Travelling in crowded trains. https://www.ns.nl/reisinformatie/serviceverbeteren/wat-kunt-je-doen-bij-drukte.html, accessed on Jul. 19, 2021.
[35] Lushi, A., Daas, D., Nadeem, M. (2022). IoT-based public transport management system. In 2022 IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (GCAIoT), Alamein New City, Egypt, pp. 69-75. https://doi.org/10.1109/GCAIoT57150.2022.10019029
[36] Bruglieri, M., Bruschi, F., Colorni, A., Luè, A., Nocerino, R., Rana, V. (2016). A real-time information system for public transport in case of delays and service disruptions. Transportation Research Procedia, 10: 493-502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2015.09.003
[37] Singh, G., Bansal, D., Sofat, S. (2014). Intelligent transportation system for developing countries-A survey. International Journal of Computer Applications, 85(3): 34-38.
[38] Gumbo, T., & Moyo, T. (2020). Exploring the interoperability of public transport systems for sustainable mobility in developing cities: Lessons from Johannesburg Metropolitan City, South Africa. Sustainability, 12(15): 5875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155875.
[39] Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for Business Students (7th Edition). Harlow: Pearson Education.
[40] Burns, C., Cottam, H., Vanstone, C., Winhall, J. (2006). Transformation design. RED Paper 2. https://designblog.uniandes.edu.co/blogs/desis/files/2009/06/transformationdesignfinaldraft.pdf.
[41] Irbīte, A., Strode, A. (2016). Design thinking models in design research and education. In: Vol. 4 (2016): Society. Integration. Education. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference, 4: 488-500. https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2016vol4.1584
[42] Costa, N., Patrício, L., Morelli, N. (2018). A designedly-way of conducting qualitative research in design studies. In Proceedings of the ServDes2018 Conference: Service Design Proof of Concept. Linköping University Electronic Press, p. 164.
[43] Al-Qutaish, R.E. (2010). Quality models in software engineering literature: An analytical and comparative study. Journal of American Science, 6(3): 166-175.
[44] Duri, B., Luke, R. (2022). The structural barriers to universally accessible transport: The Tshwane (ZAF) metropolitan area study case. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration, 6(4): 428-442. https://doi.org/10.2495/TDI-V6-N4-428-442
[45] Shange, N.A., Harmáček, J. (2017). Is the public transport system failing the poor: A critical analysis of the South African public transport system. Case study of Johannesburg. Masters dissertation, Palacký University, Olomouc.
[46] Venter, C., Leong, W.Y. (2018). Workshop 6 report: Wider impacts of public transport and successful implementation of desirable and beneficial projects. Research in Transportation Economics, 69: 489-493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2018.08.006
[47] Luke, R., Heyns, G.J. (2020). An analysis of the quality of public transport in Johannesburg, South Africa, using an adapted SERVQUAL model. Transportation Research Procedia, 48: 3562-3576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2020.08.095
[48] Mrníková, M., Poliak, M., Šimurková, P., Hernandez, S., Reuter, N. (2017). How important is the integration of public passenger transport. LOGI–Scientific Journal on Transport and Logistics, 8(2): 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1515/logi-2017-0017
[49] Washington, O.I., Kumar, D.D., Mulemwa, A. (2021). Assessment of accessibility of public bus transportAtion in Durban by GIS-based network analysis. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration, 5(2): 175-189. https://doi.org/10.2495/TDI-V5-N2-175-189
[50] Ewhrudjakpor, O., Poliaková, A., Poliak, M. (2019). The integration of passenger transport and integration barriers. Archiwum Motoryzacji, 85(3): 103-113.
[51] Leal, G.D.S.S., Guédria, W., Panetto, H. (2019). Interoperability assessment: A systematic literature review. Computers in Industry, 106: 111-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2019.01.002
[52] Yahia, E., Aubry, A., Panetto, H. (2012). Formal measures for semantic interoperability assessment in cooperative enterprise information systems. Computers in Industry, 63(5): 443-457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compind.2012.01.010
[53] Ralph, M. S., George, W. R. (2018). Principles of Information Systems (13th ed.). Cengage Learning.
[54] Arthur, J. (2021). The information legislation (PAIA, POPI, RICA) awareness of undergraduate university students: A longitudinal study. South African Journal of Information Management, 23(1): 1-9. http://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v23i1.1363
[55] Mccrocklin, S. (2021). Mobile penetration in South Africa. https://www.geopoll.com/blog/mobile-penetration-south-africa/, accessed on Feb. 2, 2024.
