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When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town
Acceptable mobility and the levels of access to off-peak public transportation is a challenge in any society, especially in South Africa. This thesis argues that ‘just' transportation should provide people with the means to life enhancing opportunities regardless of the time of day. As qualitative r...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Eng |
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Department of Civil Engineering
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613855878742016 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Fischer, Ayanda |
| author2 | Zuidgeest, Marcus |
| author_browse | Fischer, Ayanda Zuidgeest, Marcus |
| author_facet | Zuidgeest, Marcus Fischer, Ayanda |
| author_sort | Fischer, Ayanda |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Acceptable mobility and the levels of access to off-peak public transportation is a challenge in any society, especially in South Africa. This thesis argues that ‘just' transportation should provide people with the means to life enhancing opportunities regardless of the time of day. As qualitative research techniques in transport are particularly useful in understanding existing travel behaviour, this study presents a multi-layered qualitative analysis of township-dweller's mobility for discretionary activity participation during off-peak hours in Cape Town. An empirical study is conducted using a case study of the so-called “amaphela-operated” Cape Flats neighbourhoods of Nyanga, Gugulethu, Philippi, Heideveld, iKwezi Park (“Kwezi”) and Khayelitsha in Cape Town. A qualitative analysis of (n=15) in-depth interviews and (n=15) travel log diaries exhibit the extent and the relationship between mobility, accessibility and transport-related social exclusion in this context. The thesis proposes a ‘just' analytical framework that is deployed as a lens for analysing and interpreting the data. The findings of the study reveal that trip-making for discretionary activity participation among a vulnerable group is limited not necessarily by choice, but by income constraints, spatial disadvantage, a sense of not belonging to historically Whites-only areas of Cape Town and the aggravation of insufficient frequency of preferred public transportation modes during the evening time. This thesis advocates for the analytical framework's usefulness as a benchmark for the reparation goals set for developmental progress in post-apartheid South Africa. This study contributes new knowledge by providing detailed empirical insights from the case study of the amaphela-operated township area within the Cape Flats. In this thesis, a conceptual framework was developed to understand the current impact of immobility for discretionary trip-making – among paratransit-dependent township-dwellers in Cape Town. In this thesis, theory is recontextualised by combining already well-established concepts and ideas with the outcomes from data gathered from this township setting. This is valuable in providing a conceptual framework for the problem in a periurban setting. In this thesis, the conceptual framework contributes to knowledge by broadening our understanding of the vulnerabilities associated with mobility issues and how these issues can exacerbate social exclusion, particularly for township-dwellers. From a methodological perspective, this thesis contributes to a qualitative space-time methodological approach to examine the mobility challenges for peripheralized individuals. Furthermore, this thesis contributes to knowledge by integrating a number of literature domains into one structure, namely the group of literature dealing with Inter-Township and Intra-Township Mobilities, Transport-Related Social Exclusion, When will the ‘lokshin' MyCiTi bus arrive for First Thursdays in the City? Exploring Township-Dwelling People's Perspectives on Mobility for Discretionary Activity Participation After Peak-Time Hours in Cape Town Transportation Poverty, Transportation Accessibility and Behavioural Geography in a Southern African context. The significance of these findings is that we have a direction - an empirical study - for policy makers and transport planners on how to improve the conditions of people living in the urban periphery. As the conducted research can make a valuable contribution to best practice and to a limited extent to theory, the recommendations of this study call for township-based mobility and township-level transport institutions and systems to become more visible in the context of mainstream transport governance and policy frameworks – at national and municipal levels. Recommendations are also made for targeted public transportation services to improve intra-township travel especially during off-peak hours. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40913 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | Eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:47.316Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Department of Civil Engineering |
| publisherStr | Department of Civil Engineering |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40913 When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town Fischer, Ayanda Zuidgeest, Marcus Civil Engineering Acceptable mobility and the levels of access to off-peak public transportation is a challenge in any society, especially in South Africa. This thesis argues that ‘just' transportation should provide people with the means to life enhancing opportunities regardless of the time of day. As qualitative research techniques in transport are particularly useful in understanding existing travel behaviour, this study presents a multi-layered qualitative analysis of township-dweller's mobility for discretionary activity participation during off-peak hours in Cape Town. An empirical study is conducted using a case study of the so-called “amaphela-operated” Cape Flats neighbourhoods of Nyanga, Gugulethu, Philippi, Heideveld, iKwezi Park (“Kwezi”) and Khayelitsha in Cape Town. A qualitative analysis of (n=15) in-depth interviews and (n=15) travel log diaries exhibit the extent and the relationship between mobility, accessibility and transport-related social exclusion in this context. The thesis proposes a ‘just' analytical framework that is deployed as a lens for analysing and interpreting the data. The findings of the study reveal that trip-making for discretionary activity participation among a vulnerable group is limited not necessarily by choice, but by income constraints, spatial disadvantage, a sense of not belonging to historically Whites-only areas of Cape Town and the aggravation of insufficient frequency of preferred public transportation modes during the evening time. This thesis advocates for the analytical framework's usefulness as a benchmark for the reparation goals set for developmental progress in post-apartheid South Africa. This study contributes new knowledge by providing detailed empirical insights from the case study of the amaphela-operated township area within the Cape Flats. In this thesis, a conceptual framework was developed to understand the current impact of immobility for discretionary trip-making – among paratransit-dependent township-dwellers in Cape Town. In this thesis, theory is recontextualised by combining already well-established concepts and ideas with the outcomes from data gathered from this township setting. This is valuable in providing a conceptual framework for the problem in a periurban setting. In this thesis, the conceptual framework contributes to knowledge by broadening our understanding of the vulnerabilities associated with mobility issues and how these issues can exacerbate social exclusion, particularly for township-dwellers. From a methodological perspective, this thesis contributes to a qualitative space-time methodological approach to examine the mobility challenges for peripheralized individuals. Furthermore, this thesis contributes to knowledge by integrating a number of literature domains into one structure, namely the group of literature dealing with Inter-Township and Intra-Township Mobilities, Transport-Related Social Exclusion, When will the ‘lokshin' MyCiTi bus arrive for First Thursdays in the City? Exploring Township-Dwelling People's Perspectives on Mobility for Discretionary Activity Participation After Peak-Time Hours in Cape Town Transportation Poverty, Transportation Accessibility and Behavioural Geography in a Southern African context. The significance of these findings is that we have a direction - an empirical study - for policy makers and transport planners on how to improve the conditions of people living in the urban periphery. As the conducted research can make a valuable contribution to best practice and to a limited extent to theory, the recommendations of this study call for township-based mobility and township-level transport institutions and systems to become more visible in the context of mainstream transport governance and policy frameworks – at national and municipal levels. Recommendations are also made for targeted public transportation services to improve intra-township travel especially during off-peak hours. 2025-02-11T12:28:24Z 2025-02-11T12:28:24Z 2024 2025-02-11T12:27:23Z Thesis / Dissertation Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40913 Eng application/pdf Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Civil Engineering Fischer, Ayanda When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| title_full | When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| title_fullStr | When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| title_full_unstemmed | When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| title_short | When will the lokshin MyCiTi bus arrive for first thursdays in the city? Exploring township-dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak-time hours in Cape Town |
| title_sort | when will the lokshin myciti bus arrive for first thursdays in the city exploring township dwelling people s perspectives on mobility for discretionary activity participation after peak time hours in cape town |
| topic | Civil Engineering |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40913 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fischerayanda whenwillthelokshinmycitibusarriveforfirstthursdaysinthecityexploringtownshipdwellingpeoplesperspectivesonmobilityfordiscretionaryactivityparticipationafterpeaktimehoursincapetown |