| Popis: |
The Road Traffic Act (Act 683) passed in 2004 by the Parliament of Ghana precludes the use of motorcycles to carry fare-paying passengers, yet motorcycle taxi services are gradually gaining root within the public transportation sector in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana. Even though the services are not yet operated city-wide, they have begun raising public concern. This study looked at the operation and management of motorcycle taxi services in Accra and surveyed the opinions of operators, users and non-users on the services. It was established that motorcycle taxi services in the Accra Metropolis are patronized mostly by short-distance urban commuters, particularly during peak periods of traffic flow when there is heavy congestion. Patronage is gender- and age-biased as majority of patrons are male and young. Due to lack of regulation, the services tend to be concentrated along only a few routes perceived by the operators as profitable. Public opinion and acceptance of this form of public transportation are mixed. Of the 201 non-users interviewed, a slight majority (56%) thought that the ban implicit in the Road Traffic Act on such forms of public transportation must be enforced. Most (68%) of the patrons interviewed considered the services convenient for beating traffic congestion and safe due to the short trip lengths. Commuters who shy away from the services cited safety (46%) and illegality of services (34%) as their major concerns; only 4% cited the fear of falling into the hands of criminals as a concern. For the service providers, most of whom are no more than high school graduates, the taxis offer subsistence in a country where employment is hard to come by. |
