Transport Status Quo

This chapter of the report draws from the available information contained mainly in the iLembe IPTN reports, since there is no updated Current Public Transport Record (CPTR) for KwaDukuza as well as verification surveys conducted at selected public transport facilities. The figures below provide an overview of the status quo of PT in KwaDukuza.

  • 15 200 person trips over a 12-hour period and 5 900 over a four-hour peak period were recorded at the surveyed count locations.

  • The am peak period PT modal split was:

    • Minibus-taxi  89%

    • Bus    8%

    • Bakkie taxi    3%

  • Throughout the entire 12-hour period, 97% of the combined bus and minibus-taxi service capacity was utilized and during the peak period many of the services operated above capacity

  • During the same 12-hour period, 13% of the routes for bus and minibus-taxi services operated with load factors (LF) > 90%; the remaining routes operating with LF’s between 50% and 90% (where LF = passengers ÷ capacity of service).

  • During the four hours am peak, 15% of the routes operated with LF’s > 90%; the remainder operating with LF’s between 50% and 90%.

  • In total, seventeen significant loading points within iLembe, loosely described as ranks were identified. Of these, five were described as formal, having some limited form of infrastructure.

  • Buses were reported to operate from four of these ranks on a shared basis with minibus-taxis, there being no exclusive bus ranks.

  • A north-south rail line along the coastal plain with eight rail stations within the DM was used for passenger transport. Sixteen trains per day operated in each direction between KwaDukuza town and Durban, but daily passenger loadings were light.

  • There are few formal ranks and limited infrastructure has been provided for operators and for passengers

  • In many areas, service frequency and level of service is poor

  • Approximately 15% of the routes captured by the 2004 survey carry the bulk of the passenger demand and these are short of capacity.

  • Throughout the day the average high load factor on the busy routes suggests a relatively poor level of off-peak service