M. Tech. Business Information Systems / The operation and management of privately-owned public transport (the taxi industry to be precise) in many countries, South Africa included; is increasingly challenging. Over the years, the taxi industry in South Africa has been characterized by many challenges such as violence, resulting from maladministration and lack of regulations. In addition, this could be attributed to irregularities and lack of formal approach within which the privately-owned public transport (taxi) operates. Another problem with the irregularities in the industry is handling physical cash by taxi drivers. This creates room for funds spillage and financial management challenges, resulting in conflict between taxi drivers and their employers. There is also an issue of taxation, which is a challenge to the Government. Due to the irregularities, the way in which the industry is operated, the operators have failed to comply. The goal of this research is to develop an ICT seamless Model for handling electronic payment for privately-owned public transportation in Gauteng.

This thesis investigates the possibilities of implementing a location awareness mechanism for the so-called lesswire localNavigator. The author claims that it is possible to implement such a mechanism within the given prerequisites and constraints, even though with today’s technology it may not be economically feasible. Due to the lesswire’s constraints: high accuracy (67%), high-resolution (12 m2) and no hardware modification allowed to the mobile device, the suggested scheme uses Time Difference Of Arrival technology (TDOA). The main advantage of TDOA, as stated in this thesis, is the fact that it is almost totally independent of the preferred wireless technology of the mobile device. TDOA technology therefore, can be applied to a wide range of wireless networks (primarily TDMA, CDMA, FDMA – based). A disadvantage of this scheme is the fact that the network infrastructure needs to be extremely well synchronized - which in turn implies higher costs. Depending on how the synchronization problem is solved, the proposed system may well be economically feasible in the near future.

M.Comm. / Formal public transport has an important function to fulfill, both in terms of service provision and also in the broader context of the economy. This is so because so many workers live in dispersed areas and are dependent on public transport to arrive at work. This point is especially valid with regard to the Soweto area, which is one of the most heavily populated areas in South Africa, providing a large workforce to South Africa's most important economic region — the Witwatersrand. The main theme of this study is that all "formal" passenger transport operators in the Soweto area need to be integrated and that structural co-ordination should take place. This includes service provision in terms of routes and schedules as well as the ticketing system. This study provides an overview of the activities of the "formal" operators in the Soweto area. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the current "formal" service leaves considerable scope for improvement. It is also clear from the reports that have been quoted in this study that the minimum levels of service are not being achieved. Hence, this study proposes new road-based routes and schedules aimed at improving the coordination of bus and rail transport in the Soweto and surrounding areas. This study also proposes an integrated ticketing system, which is aimed at forming the basis for effective co-ordination. The purpose of these proposals is to assist the yet-to-be-established Transport Authorities to make decisions that will guide the co-ordination process in the right direction. The study also investigates other aspects that influence the "formal" public transport system. These include Government Policy, national objectives, ticketing systems and coordination. These aspects, combined with current research and schedules will be used as the basis where-upon new suggestions are made. The study emphasises that the suggestions made will not necessarily improve cost effectiveness but are primarily aimed at improving upon the current service. The study suggests however, that any additional funding that may be needed will be a moderate amount with regard to macro-economic variables, and at the same time will improve the quality of life of the community and will help in achieving national transport objectives as envisaged by the Moving South Africa study project. It is also suggested in this study that the time for meaningless debate is over and that the time has arrived to implement practical solutions with regard to the formal public passenger transport system in South Africa.

The diploma thesis deals with the mapping of the amendment to the law concerning the introduction of fare discounts for students and seniors with a focus on the fourth phase of the political cycle - implementation. The main goal of this work is based on the theoretical concept of the Multiple Stream Framework and aimed to identify the key reasons why the petitioners justified the adoption of the enactment of discounts in public transport. The main research questions focused on the opportunity window, the strategies used by the proposers to obtain support, the specific reasons for approving this amendment and its financial feasibility. The main goal was supplemented by a sub-goal, which was focused on the comparison of political and media discourse with the help of media analysis. The work is divided into three main parts - the first of them describes the nature of the Multiple Stream Framework and also describes the strategies that are used by actors to gain support for their proposal. The second part is focused on the methodology - it lists the set goals, sub-objectives, research questions and the method of data analysis. The third part contains research, which is divided into individual streams of theory, which are the stream of problems, the stream of politics and the stream of public policies....