Competence of Traditional Automobile Practitioners in Maintenance of Automatic Transmission Drives and Implications for Transportation Planning in Ghana

Purpose: This study investigates the extent of patronage of Automatic Transmission Drives (ATDs) and assesses the competence of automobile maintenance practitioners in the diagnosis and repair of automatic transmission vehicles in Ghana. Design/Methodology/Approach: A combination of research methods comprising interviews, questionnaire and face-to-face dialogue were employed in collecting data from automatic transmission repair and servicing garages. A total of 1000 questionnaires were administered to four automobile stakeholders, with 983 responses received from vehicle operators (536), wayside mechanics (202), used vehicle importers (232) and new car dealers (13) in five cities in Ghana specifically, Takoradi, Kumasi, Tema, Tamale and Accra. The quota sampling technique was used in sampling respondents from the general population in these cities. Analysis of variance, chi-square and basic charts were used to analyse and interpret trends in the data. Findings: The study revealed that the degree of patronage of ATDs showed a linear relation of y = 52.239x − 105743 over the period 2007 to 2019, an indication that the number of ATDs sold has been increasing at an average rate of 52 ATDs per year for each garage over the period. Vehicle operators classified 1.9% of wayside mechanics and 59.5% of dealers, respectively, as competent in repair of ATDs. Similarly, 66% of vehicle operators patronize wayside mechanics with the claim that their service charges are affordable, while 3% indicated that they can afford the charges of the dealers. Implications/Research Limitations: The study focus on the challenges associated with the maintenance of automatic transmission drives in Ghana. Practical Implications: The configurations of the electronics and mechanical components of the automatic transmission vehicles of different manufacturers are not standardized; however, there are basic principles in their operations which can be taught to the wayside mechanics. Social Implications: Since the wayside mechanics are unable to detect and deal with complex problems associated with automatic transmission vehicles, the government should institute regular problem-based training and refresher courses for the wayside mechanics through engagement with the appropriate educational institutions. Originality/Value: Although there have been some previous studies covering the automatic transmission drives in Ghana, they have not covered the competence of maintenance practitioners which is captured in this study.