Public Transport in Windhoek

PRISCA MAYUMBELO ECONOMIC GROWTH is a key anchor of Vision 2030, which stipulates that Namibia plans to be a prosperous and industrialised nation – developed by her human resources, enjoying peace and political stability – by the year 2030.

Economic growth is also anchored in a sustainable and vibrant transport sector which includes both private and public transport. In Windhoek, public transport is dominated by private taxis and, to a lesser extent, the bus service offered by the City of Windhoek.

Like other sectors of the economy, transport has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, affecting its effectiveness and efficiency in aiding economic growth. Measures introduced by the government as part of its bid to beat back the spread of the pandemic – curfews and passenger limits on public transport vehicles, coupled with people being encouraged to work from home – saw the industry take a major hit. An aggravating factor for the city’s bus service, for example, was the closure of schools as students form a considerable part of its customer base. In turn, these factors were compounded by fears among residents of contracting the deadly virus in public spaces. 

The number of people using taxis and buses dropped off markedly, significantly affecting revenue streams in the transport sector. This translated into an approximately 45% loss in revenue for buses and 25% loss in revenue for taxis.

It was a challenge for many to keep their services running. For example, a bus that would normally transport 92 passengers was restricted to 50 passengers. The number of passengers that private taxis could transport was reduced to three. In some cases, taxi drivers had to accept negotiated fares as low as N$8 as commuters cried foul over the continued hardships during trying times.

Commuter operators had their own problems to deal with. Despite business dwindling, their basic running costs remained the same. As did that perennial of any transport business, the constant wear and tear on vehicles. Some saw their profits shrink while others failed to break even as they found themselves making more trips for less income. On top of this, transport operators had to deal with the extra cleaning and disinfecting of vehicles to reduce the risk of infection. 

For its part, the city introduced safety protocols on all its buses, installing sanitising stations, as well as the compulsory use of masks, and social distancing.

While the recent relaxation of Covid-19 measures was welcomed by operators, many are wary, if not fearful, of what might lie ahead if the virus is not contained, or if there is a surge. As with frontline workers, bus and taxi drivers are constantly exposed to Covid-19 as they work in an environment of continuous, random contact with members of the public. 

Apart from grappling with the immediate fallout of Covid-19, the upheaval experienced in public transport should give us food for thought in terms of planning for the future.

On the flip side, we saw something of an uptick in terms of promoting healthy lifestyles – more people cycling, walking and jogging. This is something that can be promoted beyond Covid-19, provided that safe infrastructure can be catered for by the relevant authorities. The pandemic can also be used to improve communication skills with commuters through the training and development of drivers, which is vital in helping people understand the importance of health protocols, for example. 

Further, the pandemic has presented an opportunity for public transport operators to look into modern systems in an age of technological advancement. This should include the introduction of cashless systems, and investing in air filtering systems in vehicles. 

From a town planning perspective, the future of the public transport sector will largely depend on how the city redistributes the use of urban land. Among others, this can be addressed by decentralising places of employment, and through increasing space devoted to public transport – such as bus, walking and cycling lanes.

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