Long-distance hitchhiking and minibus taxi service demands in rural South African communities: MaaS semi-assessment

For many rural communities in lower-income countries, paratransit services are commonly used. Their service quality is widely debated. There are limited alternative modes, while on-demand mobilities are an option. Some travelers hitchhike and are seen via social media, despite its widely constructed contentiousness. Hitchhiking is, generally, understudied, while social media is also an emerging research field. This paper aims to explore rural (long-distance) hitchhiking demand in South Africa (SA) and compare hitching supply with the commonly used paratransit service, i.e., minibus taxis. Ultimately, probe and encourage assessments of (rural) Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), in the context of lower-income countries. The chosen case study is the Waterberg District Municipality in Limpopo Province (SA). Quantitatively described primary data includes the random one-on-one hitcher interviews (m = 429), social media hitcher (n = 418) and driver (o = 93) posts, and a full day observation of all paratransit services from each of the six rural towns in the case study. The results yield ride characteristics, travel arrangements, waiting times, travelling period and mobility satisfactory factors. More empirical evidence is needed to inform policymakers regarding the establishment of or investment in institutions to develop strategies and enforce the transit-competitions and multimodal information technology system that is user-centric – (rural) MaaS. This study makes a valuable contribution to lower-income community traveler’s needs and challenges, with potential political and technological interventions.