The Instituto Superior de Transportes e Comunicações (ISUTC), in partnership with the University of Cape Town (UCT), held the workshop "The Future of Collective Passenger Transport in the Maputo Metropolitan Area: Traffic Monitoring Technologies as a Tool for the Formalization of Chapas" on Friday 7 March.

The event took place in Maputo and brought together experts, policymakers, transport operators and members of civil society to debate innovative solutions for the sector.

This workshop is part of the study "Intelligent Forecasting and Congestion Management Systems for Informal Public Transport in African Cities: The Case of Maputo and Cape Town". The initiative is part of the SSAC - South-South Academic Cooperation program, promoted by the African Transport Policy Program (SSATP), financed by the World Bank.

The aim of the event was to discuss the challenges and opportunities in integrating informal public transport, the so-called 'chapas', into the formal urban mobility network. The exchange of experiences included good practices from other African cities and addressed the potential of digital technologies to optimize the sector's operational efficiency.

"The partnership between ISUTC and the University of Cape Town demonstrates the importance of academic collaboration to respond to common urban challenges in African cities, promoting solutions based on knowledge and innovation," said Fernando Leite, rector of ISUTC.

According to the same official, "this workshop represented an essential step towards transforming challenges into opportunities, aligning the informal sector with the best global practices", stressing that "the modernization of public transport in Maputo requires innovative solutions".

The event, which had 60 participants divided into 5 working groups, included panel discussions on the current state of public transport in the region, the challenges faced by operators and users, as well as the impact of new technologies on modernizing the system.

Among the speakers were officials from the Maputo Municipal Directorate of Mobility, Transport and Transit; the Metropolitan Transport Agency (AMT); Metrobus; and the Maputo Road Transport Association.

The results of the event will contribute to the formulation of strategic recommendations to be presented at the SSATP General Assembly, which will take place between March 24 and 28 in Benin, bringing together the main decision-makers in the transport sector on the African continent.