IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/halshs-01325442.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Earning a living, but at what price? Being a motorcycle taxi driver in a Sub-Saharan African city

Author

Listed:
  • Lourdes Diaz Olvera

    (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Assogba Guézéré

    (Département de Géographie ; Université de Kara - Département de Géographie ; Université de Kara)

  • Didier Plat

    (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Pascal Pochet

    (LET - Laboratoire d'économie des transports - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENTPE - École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Motorcycle taxis have become an essential part of the transport sector in an increasing number of Sub-Saharan African cities. An analysis of the way this activity operates in Lomé (Togo), based on field surveys, provides a better understanding of the reasons for the development of this transport mode. The majority of drivers earn enough from the activity to meet their day to day needs and to invest to increase human and economic capital. The arduous working conditions, the impacts on health and the risk of accidents and aggression explain however why 2 the activity is perceived as temporary and undertaken for want of anything better. There is a need to identify measures to professionalise the occupation and improve its image, and also find the best way to implement them. The occasionally stated goal of doing away with motorcycle taxis in order to modernize urban transport systems would have negative effects on their livelihoods.

Suggested Citation

  • Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Assogba Guézéré & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2016. "Earning a living, but at what price? Being a motorcycle taxi driver in a Sub-Saharan African city," Post-Print halshs-01325442, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01325442
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.11.010
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01325442
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01325442/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.11.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William Kisaalita & Josephat Sentongo-Kibalama, 2007. "Delivery of urban transport in developing countries: the case for the motorcycle taxi service (boda-boda) operators of Kampala," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 345-357.
    2. Regina Kamuhanda & Oliver Schmidt, 2008. "Matatu: A Case Study of the Core Segment of the Public Transport Market of Kampala, Uganda," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 129-142, May.
    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13410 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Philippe De Vreyer & François Roubaud, 2013. "Urban Labor Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15808, December.
    5. Abdoumaliq Simone, 2005. "Urban Circulation and the Everyday Politics of African Urban Youth: The Case of Douala, Cameroon," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 516-532, September.
    6. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet & Maïdadi Sahabana, 2012. "Motorbike taxis in the "transport crisis" of West and Central African cities," Post-Print halshs-00717909, HAL.
    7. John Howe, 2003. "'Filling the middle': Uganda's appropriate transport services," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 161-176, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chalermpong, Saksith & Ratanawaraha, Apiwat & Anuchitchanchai, Ornicha, 2023. "Motorcycle taxis' varying degrees of complementarity and substitution with public transit in Bangkok," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    2. Alimo, Philip Kofi & Rahim, Abdul Basit Abdul & Lartey-Young, George & Ehebrecht, Daniel & Wang, Ling & Ma, Wanjing, 2022. "Investigating the increasing demand and formal regulation of motorcycle taxis in Ghana," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Sgibnev, Wladimir & Rekhviashvili, Lela, 2020. "Marschrutkas: Digitalisation, sustainability and mobility justice in a low-tech mobility sector," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 342-352.
    4. Wadud, Zia, 2020. "The effects of e-ridehailing on motorcycle ownership in an emerging-country megacity," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 301-312.
    5. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2020. "Looking for the obvious: Motorcycle taxi services in Sub-Saharan African cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    6. Rekhviashvili, Lela & Sgibnev, Wladimir, 2020. "Theorising informality and social embeddedness for the study of informal transport. Lessons from the marshrutka mobility phenomenon," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Kemajou, Armel & Jaligot, Rémi & Bosch, Martí & Chenal, Jérôme, 2019. "Assessing motorcycle taxi activity in Cameroon using GPS devices," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Ehebrecht, Daniel & Heinrichs, Dirk & Lenz, Barbara, 2018. "Motorcycle-taxis in sub-Saharan Africa: Current knowledge, implications for the debate on “informal” transport and research needs," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 242-256.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Guézéré, Assogba & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2016. "Earning a living, but at what price? Being a motorcycle taxi driver in a Sub-Saharan African city," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 165-174.
    2. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Pascal Pochet, 2020. "Looking for the obvious: motorcycle taxi services in Sub-Saharan African cities," Post-Print halshs-02182855, HAL.
    3. Kemajou, Armel & Jaligot, Rémi & Bosch, Martí & Chenal, Jérôme, 2019. "Assessing motorcycle taxi activity in Cameroon using GPS devices," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Diaz Olvera, Lourdes & Plat, Didier & Pochet, Pascal, 2020. "Looking for the obvious: Motorcycle taxi services in Sub-Saharan African cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Ehebrecht, Daniel & Heinrichs, Dirk & Lenz, Barbara, 2018. "Motorcycle-taxis in sub-Saharan Africa: Current knowledge, implications for the debate on “informal” transport and research needs," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 242-256.
    6. Schwanen, Tim, 2020. "Towards decolonial human subjects in research on transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Anda David & Yoro Diallo & Björn Nilsson, 2023. "Informality and Inequality: The African Case," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(Supplemen), pages 273-295.
    8. Edgar Pieterse, 2010. "Cityness and African Urban Development," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2010-042, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Michael J. Handel & Alexandria Valerio & Maria Laura Sánchez Puerta, 2016. "Accounting for Mismatch in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24906, December.
    10. Bouët, Antoine & Laborde Debucquet, David & Traoré, Fousseini, 2017. "The European Union–West Africa Economic Partnership Agreement," IFPRI discussion papers 1612, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Assogba Guezere & Pascal Pochet, 2013. "The motorbike taxis in Lomé: Who earns what?," Post-Print halshs-01093566, HAL.
    12. McKay, Andy & Newell, Andrew T. & Rienzo, Cinzia, 2018. "Job Satisfaction among Young Workers in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Comparative Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 11380, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Ryan Centner, 2012. "Moving Away, Moving Onward: Displacement Pressures and Divergent Neighborhood Politics in Buenos Aires," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(11), pages 2555-2573, November.
    14. Carren Ginsburg & Philippe Bocquier & Donatien Beguy & Sulaimon Afolabi & Orvalho Augusto & Karim Derra & Frank Odhiambo & Mark Otiende & Abdramane B. Soura & Pascal Zabre & Michael White & Mark Colli, 2016. "Human capital on the move: Education as a determinant of internal migration in selected INDEPTH surveillance populations in Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(30), pages 845-884.
    15. Maria Klara Kuss & Franziska Gassmann & Firminus Mugumya, 2022. "How Inclusive are the Local Economic Impacts of Social Protection in Uganda?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2156-2178, October.
    16. Mukuve, Feriha Mugisha & Fenner, Richard A., 2015. "The influence of water, land, energy and soil-nutrient resource interactions on the food system in Uganda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 24-37.
    17. Rafael Novella & Claire Zanuso, 2018. "Reallocating children’s time: coping strategies after the 2010 Haiti earthquake," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-32, December.
    18. Christian S. Otchia, 2019. "On Promoting Entrepreneurship and Job Creation in Africa: Evidence from Ghana and Kenya," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(2), pages 908-918.
    19. irengo Gilbert Tawayi & Dr. Peter Simotwo, 2023. "Assessment of Motorcyclists’ Entrepreneurial Skills on Performance of Boda Boda Transport Business in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(6), pages 1746-1756, June.
    20. Pascal Pochet & Lourdes Diaz Olvera & Didier Plat & Amakoé Adolehoume, 2016. "L’usage privé et public des motos dans les villes d’Afrique sub-saharienne," Working Papers halshs-01542583, HAL.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01325442. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.