Optimising rural transport

IF YOU’VE DRIVEN through Botswana in recent months, you might’ve chuckled at the ‘donkey cart’ crossing on the busy A1 highway. No, this unusual traffic management set-up doesn’t mean that the country is primitive. Quite the opposite, in fact. As an important and widespread method of transport in Botswana, donkey-cart ‘fleets’ move people to work, school and social gatherings. But since not everyone can afford to own a donkey cart, Botswanans share their fleets with others in the community, using a paper-based booking and tracking system that’s largely based on trust.

Yes, we’re talking about ride hailing with donkeys, and it might seem quite rustic, but it’s just one of thousands of rural systems that are often overlooked in global developments in smart mobility, despite significant efforts to empower developing countries in this area.

‘I spoke at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Singapore [recently] on the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and how we can apply technological innovations, infrastructure planning and digital know-how to modernise rural transport systems, such as donkey fleets,’ says Ivan Reutener, who is a smart mobility and intelligent transport systems specialist at Royal HaskoningDHV.

MaaS includes all manner of transport practices, from public transport to ride-hailing services, bike sharing, and even donkeycart fleets. It is about offering an alternative way for people to get around – one that’s cheaper, cleaner and more efficient. The growth of the MaaS market is being fuelled by rising populations and efforts by governments to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion.

Having had success with the intelligent-transport-system framework for the

City of Johannesburg, Ivan’s company was contacted by the Botswana Ministry of Transport and Communications who asked them if they could devise a trafficsignal system for donkey carts.

‘In 2015, donkey carts were involved in nearly 300 accidents along Botswana’s busy A1 highway,’ says Ivan. ‘With little street lighting, carts blended into the night and, by the time cars saw them, it was too late. By doing something as simple as sticking reflective tape to the carts, the amount of accidents involving donkeys dropped by 40 per cent in one year.’

If adding a little piece of tape could have such a big effect, Ivan was curious to investigate what impact could be achieved by implementing smart mobility solutions to the problem.

A pilot project was initiated involving a portion of the A1 highway. Traffic signal poles at a busy intersection were fitted with sensors and infrared technology. When carts approach the intersection, sensors trigger the traffic lights to turn red for cars and green for carts.

‘It’s basic technology, but it makes it safer for donkey carts to cross the road, which reduces cart-related accidents,’ concludes Ivan. ‘If we look beyond the challenges of rural transport systems, the opportunities to optimise and modernise them are immense – the building blocks exist; we just need to add to them.’ A simple smartphone app linked to solar-powered tracking devices on the carts is being investigated – watch out Uber, the donkey carts are coming…

It’s vital that developing countries including their rural transport systems aren’t overlooked in the drive to improve global mobility with the help of technological innovations. In line with this, simple smart solutions have been implemented at certain road intersections in Botswana where donkey carts are known to cross.