Impact of unpaved road condition on rural transport services
This study estimates the changes in vehicle operating costs for motorcycle taxis with changes in the unpaved road condition
Abstract
The majority of roads in developing countries especially in sub-Saharan Africa remain unpaved. To optimise their social impact, rural roads need to be complemented with convenient and affordable transport services that allow residents to reach markets and basic services. Motorcycle taxis or boda bodas, have risen to be the most dominant transport service in the rural areas of Uganda. Careful management of the vehicle operating costs (VOCs) is therefore important to sustain this service in the rural areas. This study estimates the changes in VOCs for motorcycle taxis with changes in the unpaved road condition. A 1·8% rise in operating costs is found when a road condition deteriorates from very good to good; and a 7·7% increase when road condition deteriorates from good to fair or poor.
This work is part of the Applied Research on Rural Roads and Transport Services through Community Access Programmes in Africa and Asia (AFCAP2 and AsCAP)
Citation
Mbabazi, E. (2019). Impact of unpaved road condition on rural transport services. In: Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Municipal Engineer, 174 (4). London: ICE.
Link
Impact of unpaved road condition on rural transport services