Simulating mobility to plan for electric minibus taxis in Sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit

Journal article

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is faced with the challenge to integrate e-mobility into its paratransit (its informal mass transit). Old, unsafe, fuel-inefficient, polluting minibus taxis are the cornerstone of daily commuting for millions in the region. Planning for electrification requires accurate high-frequency mobility data, which is currently unavailable. We analyse and improve on existing simulation models, which predict the energy usage with a micro-traffic simulation, SUMO, that up-samples low-frequency mobility data. We show that, compared to using measured mobility data, the current simulation approach overestimates energy expenditure. Results show a mean energy expenditure per distance overestimation of 14%, and mean energy per trip overestimation of 46%. We identify and virtualisation errors in the current driver and infrastructure models, and identify shortcomings of imposing a virtual road network with simulation software in the SSA context. We recommend and demonstrate virtualisation improvements for accurate electro-mobility planning in future.

Authors: Giliomee, JH; Hull, C; Collett, KA; McCulloch, M; Booysen, MJ

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
• Volume: 118
• Article number: 103728
• Publication date: 2023-04-04
• Acceptance date: 2023-03-28
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2023.103728
• EISSN: 1879-2340
• ISSN: 1361-9209
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR