35 years on the road: What CTU has learned from South Africa’s commuter transport industry

After 35 years, CTU’s purpose remains as relevant as it was in 1991: to help protect the people and businesses behind the vehicles that keep South Africa moving.

Johannesburg, 29 September 2026 – South Africa’s minibus taxi industry was growing rapidly, but specialist insurance solutions built around the realities of transport operators were limited. It was against this backdrop that Clarendon Transport Underwriting Managers (CTU) began its journey, with a clear purpose: to understand the transport industry properly and protect the businesses operating within it.

Thirty-five years later, much has changed. The vehicles on South Africa’s roads have evolved, passenger needs have shifted and technology has transformed how transport businesses operate. CTU has evolved alongside them, growing from its roots in taxi insurance into a specialist underwriting business serving minibus taxis, buses, e-hailing, shuttle, scholar and tourism transport.

Yet the fundamental need has remained remarkably consistent. When a vehicle is non-operational, the impact extends well beyond the asset itself.

“When CTU started, the transport industry looked very different to what it does today. But one thing has remained the same: when a vehicle cannot operate, it affects far more than the vehicle owner – a livelihood, a business and the people who rely on that vehicle every day,” says Fahmida Omar, Chief Customer Officer at CTU. “Our 35-year journey has been about understanding those realities and building our business around them.”

Operators today navigate rising operating costs, vehicle maintenance, safety considerations, changing passenger expectations and increasingly complex business environments. For a specialist Underwriting Management Agency (UMA), this means staying close to the market and ensuring solutions continue to reflect the risks customers face.

Behind that figure are businesses able to continue operating, vehicles returned to service and operators able to keep serving the passengers who depend on them.

“Our role is not simply to insure a vehicle. It is to understand what that vehicle means to the person or business behind it,” says Omar. “A taxi, bus or shuttle is part of someone’s livelihood and, in many cases, part of a much bigger network of people who depend on it. That is why the ability to respond when something goes wrong matters.”

Three and a half decades in commuter transport has given CTU a perspective that cannot be built overnight. The sector has had to adapt to changing economic conditions, new transport models, shifting passenger needs and advances in technology, while operators have had to continually adjust how they run their businesses.

If the past three and a half decades have demonstrated anything, it is that South Africa’s transport industry will continue to change. Technology and data are already influencing how businesses understand and manage risk, while changing passenger needs and new vehicle technologies are likely to shape the sector further.

At the same time, operators will continue to need insurance solutions that understand the practical realities of keeping their vehicles and businesses moving.

“Thirty-five years gives you perspective. We have seen the industry change, we have seen operators adapt and we have had to adapt with them,” says Omar. “The next 35 years will bring a different set of challenges, but our focus remains the same: understanding the people and businesses we insure and making sure we are there when they need us.”

About CTU

Clarendon Transport Underwriting Managers (CTU) is a specialist insurance business serving South Africa’s taxi, bus, e-hailing, shuttle, scholar and tourism transport sectors. Established in 1991, CTU has 35 years’ experience in the commuter transport industry and operates through a national broker network. CTU is an authorised financial services provider and its insurance products are underwritten by The Hollard Insurance Company Limited.