POSSIBLE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING ICTS INTO THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN THE FREE STATE

ArticleInformationCommunicationTechnologies(ICTs)arebecomingahugepartofthepublictransportationsystemsallovertheworld.ICTsinpublictransportation,alsoknownasIntelligentTransportationSystemsarerelativelynewinSouthAfricaandevenunheardofinsomepartsoftheFreeStateprovinceofSouthAfrica.Thesetechnologies,whichincludeelectronicfarepayments,VariableMessageSigns,AutomaticVehicleLocation,CCTVsurveillance,mobileapplicationsandtheinternetareyettobeimplementedintheFreeStateprovince.TheuptakeofICTsolutionsinpublictransportationinothercountrieswasbasedonassumptionsthatitwillimprovepublictransportationthroughthesetechnologicaldevelopments.Itwasthoughtthattechnologywillimproveservicedelivery,thereforereducingtheexistingbarrierstowardspublictransportationandresultinginthepublicbeingmorepatriotictopublictransportationsystems(NelsonandMulley,2013).ChallengesarelikelytobeencounteredwhenintegratingICTsintothepublictransportationatallstagesoftheprocess,fromplanninghowtousethesolutionstothefunctionalstageofthefullyintegratedpublictransportationsystem.Therefore,beforedeployingthesetechnologies,thesepossiblechallengesshouldbeconsidered,takingintoconsiderationthecurrentstateofpublictransportation,itsmanagement,commuters,operatorsanddrivers