How Would the Trackless Tram System and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Apply to Bulawayo?

Vinnet Ndlovu,Peter Newman

doi:10.4236/cus.2021.91002

Abstract

The City of Bulawayo urgently needs to rebuild its dilapidated infrastructure and stimulate its economic activities. A Public-Private Partnership funding mechanism could enable the implementation of Trackless Trams on its corridors bringing mobility, a new solar power system and other multiple economic and social benefits, especially demonstrating the intention of Bulawayo to leapfrog into a 21st century future. This study designs a PPP model referred to as a Three Multifaceted PPP Model (TMPM) that will enable the implementation of the Trackless Tram project in Bulawayo. The TMPM model is composed of three layers of players each required to structure a separate PPP arrangement. The city council would lead the first layer responsible for road construction. The real estate developers would lead the second layer and be responsible for constructing station precincts especially the construction of a solar-based Transit Mall. The Trackless Tram consortium and public transport agency will manage the third layer that provides and operates the trams. The split of the project into three layers should enable its quicker delivery by lowering capital risk through spreading it over a number of players. Climate finance could be tapped. This model should be replicable to other developing cities.

Highlights

Since bankability and capability are the main determinants for the deliverability and implementation for most Public Partnerships (PPP) projects, this study will utilise the four broad criteria identified by Mandri-Perrott & Menzies (2010: p. 11) to formulate a framework to evaluate the bankability of each of the three Tram Systems (TTS) project’s undertakings identified above
Based upon the results of the Bankability Assessment of the Bulawayo TTS project and the evaluation of the capability of the potential partners in this PPP arrangement through a Partner Capability, this study recommends an ideal PPP model supported by the metrics of the evaluation and assessment frameworks
This has a high likelihood to enable the implementation of the Trackless Trams project on Bulawayo’s major corridors. This model is structured around three layers of players/developers that will constitute three different PPP arrangements that would be integrated into one package for delivery

Summary

Introduction

The city will need to show it wants to become a major urban centre in 21st century to provide a good African life and economic activity To do this it will need to explore the possibility of adopting technologies that could ideally leapfrog it technologically into a city of the future (Ndlovu & Newman, 2020). Trackless Tram Systems (TTS) have the potential to do just that for the City of Bulawayo given the city’s current physical situation and socioeconomic settings The adoption of this technology will have a profound effect on the psyche of the local and business communities, and promote the perception of Bulawayo as a city that is geared to be a leader in innovation (Ndlovu & Newman, 2020a; Ndlovu & Newman, 2020; Ndlovu et al, 2020)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion