Urban Mobility, an African Legacy

Kampala, Uganda – October 30, 2017: Matatu (mini-van taxi) Station in Kampala city center. Kampala (a contraction of local language words for the hill or the place of the impala) is the capital and largest city of Uganda, a fast growing African city with a population of about 2 million people.

By David Taylor

In the international arena, the buzz word ‘mobility’ conjures images of high-tech mass-rapid-transit systems in international cities, linked with entrepreneurial, tech-driven start-ups such as e-hailing companies, micro solutions like e-scooters and share bike programs linking efficient, high-speed rail and air solutions modernized to meet our contemporary transport needs. In South Africa, ‘mobility’ denotes the urban transport imperative that is integral to our economic activity, an informal modality all but void of innovation, propped up and supported by our often ominous Minibus taxi industry.

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